Letting the Cat out of the Bag
by Scooplet
Summary: Lee and Amanda team up with their friend Emily Farnsworth in order to catch a man they've put away once before. Meanwhile, Lee is concerned about Amanda's health and the boys have become far too interested in their mother's job. Set shortly after the end of season four.
1. Chapter 1

Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag

By Scooplet

Scarecrow and Mrs. King characters are the property of Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended. Not for commercial use.

Story is rated PG, set shortly after the end of the fourth season.

The middle-aged, mustached man lay on his prison bed, sleeping soundly. Outside his cell, a figure approached stealthfully. If the prisoner had been awake, he would have heard the thud of a body landing on the concrete floor of the hallway outside, then the sound of a key sliding surreptitiously into the lock and the scuffing noise of a body being dragged into his cell. But he was still asleep when he was roughly jostled.

"Come on, you dolt," the figure whispered roughly in his ear. The prisoner detected a slight accent in the voice—but he could barely tell the man was not a native speaker. "You didn't even hear me come in. You were supposed to fake being asleep, imbecile! You should have been up and ready to get out. Let's go!" The two men hurried out of the cell, carefully checking for guards as they worked their way to the Achilles' heel of the prison: the storm drain leading out of the recreation yard.

It seemed ridiculous to the operative on his mission that a maximum security prison would be so easy to infiltrate, but he had done it. He had gone undercover as one of the guards; his identification was flawless, created not by his intelligence organization, but by one of the most sophisticated falsification experts on the planet. It was no problem to distract the guards when he disabled the monitors for the security cameras, and those who did see him did not doubt his need to be there. It was simply a matter of opening the cell door and getting the prisoner to freedom. And they had no more than two minutes after they left the cell to get out or there was no chance of success. The keys to the cell door and the storm drain cover helped, of course.

The operative emerged from the storm drain, his charge close on his heels. Masked by shrubbery and debris from earlier floods, the opening had been hard to find. Once successful, the operative had stashed there a change of clothes, money, and new identification papers for his charge and for himself. He donned his leather jacket and slacks quickly, but the newly-freed prisoner clumsily managed the task.

"Hurry up. I don't know why our people want you so badly. You're a bumbler."

The operative led his charge through the woods, stopping short of the train station two miles away. "You're on your own from here. There will be others waiting for you. Don't hesitate to follow the instructions I gave you, or you will found, and death will not be swift." With that, the operative vanished.

Sydney Whitsett was on his own.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

"Mother, do you know where my black slip-ons are? I'm late and I can't find them anywhere." A barefoot Amanda Stetson, clad in jeans and a light sweater, dragged a small suitcase down the stairs of her home. Leaving the piece of luggage near her front door, she came into the kitchen.

"Did you check underneath the couch, dear?" Dotty looked up from the newspaper, coffee cup in hand. "I think you left them there when Lee was here the other night."

"Thanks, Mother. You're right." Amanda's brown hair, pulled into a clip, fell over the top of her head as she bent down to retrieve the shoes.

Dotty peered over her reading glasses at her daughter, who struggled to put on the shoes without sitting down. "I made you some eggs and toast. Won't you at least eat a little? You know what they say…"

"…breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Amanda looked at the plate of food and quickly turned away. "Thank you, Mother, that's really very sweet, but I just don't have time today. I'll get something on the way out of town." She did not consider telling her mother that her stomach was feeling off. Lee was due at the house any minute and she did not want to be delayed with her mother's attempts at home remedies. It was only two days at the cabin, but they had not been alone for more than one night at a time since that weekend last month, when they had celebrated putting the final touches on the interior of their little hideaway. Oh, and that celebration had been pretty special, too. Amanda forced herself to focus on the present. She went over her mental list once again, stopping herself nervously. Did I remember it this time? She sighed to herself. I don't want to forget again.

Getting up from the table, Dotty interrupted her thoughts. "I don't know why the two of you don't get married. Wouldn't it be nice to have Lee here all the time? You know I don't judge, Amanda, but I just find it hard to believe you have another weekend work assignment. It's just too convenient. Joe's been planning this fishing trip with the boys for three weeks. It sure seems like more than a coincidence that you are going away the same weekend. Not that I can blame you. As I've said before, on a scale of one to ten, Lee's an eleven."

"Mo-ther!" Raising a finger in the air at her remembrance of another item from the mental list, she went to the television and grabbed two VHS tapes from the shelf nearby.

"I'm sure those are for work, too." Dotty's sarcastic tone was not lost on Amanda.

She opened her mouth, trying valiantly to form a reply to her mother, when there was a knock on the front door. She mentally praised her husband's excellent timing and went to answer his knock.

"Hi!" As Lee offered her his dimpled grin, Amanda wondered briefly if she would ever not get that tingly feeling in her stomach when he looked at her that way. He stepped inside and put his arms around his wife after she shut the door.

"Hi, yourself." Amanda hugged him back.

From the way Lee kissed her, Amanda knew he was looking forward to the weekend as much as she was.

He smiled at her again and went to the kitchen to greet his mother-in-law, who was looking over the gardening section of the newspaper one last time before taking it to the laundry room. Dressed in an old blouse and slacks, with her blonde hair in a bandana, it was obvious that Dotty had a project planned.

"Hello, Lee. Amanda tells me you two have another weekend work assignment."

"Hello, Dotty." The intelligence operative who had stared down many a KGB operative squirmed under Dotty's gaze.

She pulled off her glasses. "Well, I hope the weather is nice. We have had a lovely June so far—and July will be here in only ten days. I know today will be perfect for planting flowers…where did you say you were going?"

"Ah…" Lee fumbled for an answer. He could not remember the story he and Amanda had cooked up for this weekend. He was grateful to his wife when she rescued him.

"We're going to be near Harper's Ferry. We'll be back late tomorrow evening." Amanda went over to kiss Dotty. "Goodbye, Mother. Enjoy your gardening. And your date with Captain Curt later."

Dotty followed her daughter and Lee to the front door, where Lee picked up Amanda's bag. Amanda grabbed her purse and the tote bag where she had placed the VHS tapes and a few other things for the cabin.

"Thank you, dear. You two have a nice time…working." Neither Lee nor Amanda missed the skeptical look on Dotty's face as they walked out of the house.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

"At least we didn't lie to her. The cabin is on the way to Harper's Ferry." As Lee turned the Corvette onto the highway leading to their retreat in the woods, he looked over at his wife. He picked up her hand and kissed it, then played with the wedding set Amanda had slipped on after they left her house. "Leatherneck said he finished wiring the cameras last weekend."

"You've done a great job creating our little hideaway, Lee. I'm glad Harry gave you the idea."

"Well, it isn't the house in Rockville, but it has your touch, too, Amanda. And it's our first home together." Amanda did not miss the wistful expression on Lee's face. She squeezed his hand.

"And Leatherneck is the only other person on the planet besides Harry Thornton who knows about it. I wonder what Leatherneck thinks, you taking me there. He doesn't know we're married. Only Harry does. It's as bad as what Mother is thinking."

Lee glanced over at his wife. "I know it stinks, having a secret marriage. But Leatherneck thinks a lot of you, Amanda. And the only reason Harry knows we're married is because…well, he's Harry. We're lucky to have found each other."

Amanda reached up and caressed Lee's shoulder. "More than lucky, Scarecrow."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Rostov tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the British man to appear. He was irritated with the office in Moscow. They had insisted that Sydney Whitsett was the man for the job. Yet somehow they managed to overlook the fact that he had been duped before and landed in a British jail, thanks to MI6's Emily Farnsworth and the Agency's Scarecrow. Then there was that interesting brunette—Mrs. King—that never seemed to leave Scarecrow's side. He definitely worked with a partner now. If any of those three find out that Whitsett is organizing another attempt to steal military secrets, we're done for. The man's a bumbler.

Sighing, Rostov looked about the park one last time. At last he could see Whitsett walking hurriedly towards him, glancing nervously about. Worried that his contact's obvious behavior might alert a tail or a surveillance team, the seasoned KGB operative rose from the bench and began walking along a path that led through a stand of trees. Whitsett would easily be able to catch up with him, hopefully out of sight of spying eyes.

"I'm sorry for being late…"

Rostov cut him off. "Save the apologies. Tell me what you have learned, and be done. You have half the Washington intelligence community following you, no doubt."

Whitsett looked around. "I tried to be careful."

Waving his hand impatiently, Rostov did not hide his annoyance. Let someone else teach the fool how to keep out of trouble. "What do you have for me?"

"Plans for a joint British and American spy satellite."

Rostov raised his eyebrows. He had heard rumors of such a project, and here this bumbler had gotten the plans—or at least an opportunity to get them. He was not one to hold back praise when it was due, although he usually gave it grudgingly.

"I must say I am impressed. Where are these plans? Do you have a microfiche? Photos?" Rostov looked at Whitsett expectantly.

"Well, I don't have them, yet. But I am working on it."

Rostov sighed. "You will need to move more quickly than this. We can't protect you forever here. If you are caught by the Americans or the British, we will deny having anything to do with you. And I doubt the British will show you any mercy, since you have escaped prison—where you were serving time for treason."

"Give me three days. I will have them for you by Tuesday."

"Or you will be left here to fend for yourself." Rostov nodded at Whitsett and walked off.

Running his hand through his hair, Whitsett remembered to choose a different path out of the park and headed down the trail.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee watched while Amanda polished off the last of her sandwich, an amused expression on his face.

"What's so funny?"

"You. Normally I can hardly get you to eat half a meal, but here you are, eating your entire sandwich. And I think you ate an apple earlier, didn't you?"

"Well, I skipped breakfast, so I was hungry. You should be happy. You've been after me to put on the last of that weight I lost."

Lee's face clouded over briefly. He recovered quickly and tried to think of some kind of comeback. It was painful to have even the slightest reminder of the shooting in California that had nearly claimed his wife's life. "Do you want me to go back to the cabin and make you another sandwich?"

"Very funny. No thank you. Relax and enjoy the view. That's why we're here."

Lee stretched out his legs and looked out across the small valley to the tree-lined ridge beyond. He imagined the view would be incredible in October, when the autumn leaves would be at their peak. They had found this spot, a large rock outcropping near the trail on the edge of their property, the first weekend they had stayed at the cabin. It was an easy scramble to climb up, and the views more than rewarded the effort. Even if they came out to the cabin for only a day, Lee and Amanda almost always visited their rock.

Amanda laid down beside Lee and put her head on his lap, facing out towards the ridge. "It's so peaceful here."

Lee did not answer. He caressed her arm and thought to himself. When we're sitting out here like this, that stupid secret marriage idea of mine doesn't seem so bad. But it can't be like this all the time.

Amanda reached for Lee's hand, now resting on her shoulder, and ran her finger over his wedding ring.

He looked down at his wife. But it is nice now.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Crouched in the shadows amid the shipping crates, Emily Farnsworth finished snapping photos. She tried to ignore the cramps in her legs as she crept back to her rental car two blocks away. You are not getting any younger, Emily. Why on earth did they ask me to follow him myself? I suppose they expected me to enlist the help of Lee and Amanda for this step. It's not like I didn't try. Having watched Lee carry Amanda's suitcase to his Corvette, she was pretty certain that they had weekend plans. Alone. Emily stifled the chuckle that threatened to escape. She remembered the first time she had worked with the seemingly oddly-matched couple. Lee, an old friend of Emily's, was still the arrogant operative, and his playboy days had not ended. The charming Amanda, still very green, but smart and full of enthusiasm, had helped solve the case. Since then, Lee had gone from having a grudging respect, if one could even call it that, to what might be considered adoration for the former housewife.

While neither one of them would have admitted it at the time, Emily had not failed to see the attraction they had had for one another. Now she was eager to find out if her theory was true. The infamous Scarecrow, who had vowed more than once that he would never be tied down, was married.

Emily slipped behind a dumpster and quickly shed her homeless costume and wig, stuffing them in the zippered satchel she had stowed there. Glancing carefully about, she continued to her rental car and drove back to the British Embassy.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Phillip pulled lazily on his pole, leaning back against the tree trunk that rose from the creek bank. Nearby, Jamie perched on a rock, slowly dragging his lure to and fro. He was certain he had seen the glint of silver scales in the water below, and he was determined to catch a fish for their dinner. Phillip broke the silence with his hoarse whisper.

"Do you like Carrie, Jamie?"

Jamie made more of an attempt than Phillip did to speak as quietly as possible. "Sure. But we shouldn't talk about her right now. She and Dad might hear us."

"Nah. They walked off alone together. Newlyweds. Yuck."

"You're one to talk. You're always flirting with some girl. Was it Cindy last time? Or Samantha? Or both?"

Phillip squirmed and did not answer directly. It was both, but he wasn't going to tell Jamie. "Shut up, Wormbrain. At least I'm not off hiking in the woods with one of them."

"Whatever." Jamie was quiet for a few minutes, concentrating on his lure. "What do you think of Lee?"

"He's a cool dude. You know I like him. I wish he'd marry Mom." Phillip looked over at Jamie. "You've been a lot nicer to him lately."

"Yeah. Lee kind of grows on you. But don't you wish Mom and Dad had married each other again?"

Phillip hesitated. "Yeah, kind of. But I've never seen Mom look at Dad the way she looks at Lee. Don't ever tell anyone I told you this, or I'll make you pay for the rest of your life."

"I'm not going to say anything, Dufus."

Phillip knew his secret was safe with Jamie. But he would never admit that to him or anyone else. "I guess I'd rather see Mom happy and in love. You don't remember how unhappy she was before."

"But she likes Dad pretty well. Calls him Sweetheart."

"'Likes' just isn't the same as 'love.' I think she was lonely with Dad gone all the time. I heard Grandma say something to Aunt Lillian more than once."

"What if she married Lee and was unhappy again?"

"Sheesh, Dorkface, they're in love. She wouldn't be unhappy."

"Yeah, but things can change. We don't know Lee very well. Do you really think he's a director? He likes to help me with my camera, but I know more about it than he does now."

"Oh, come on. You're just a know-it-all."

"Seriously. I think we should know more about Lee. Carrie is a schoolteacher. We've met her parents. But what do we know about Lee, really? He and Mom spend a lot of time together. I heard Grandma talking to Mom about them going away this weekend again."

Phillip played with his fishing pole. "Well, they do work together, Wormbrain. But you have a point." He dipped the line in and out of the water. "Okay. Let's find out. It's summer. We can ride the bus into Georgetown and watch his place. See if he has any girlfriends. We could watch IFF, too."

"That won't tell us a lot."

Phillip snapped his fingers.

Jamie gave him a dirty look. "Keep it down, Dufus. You're going to scare the fish."

"Sorry. I have an idea. What if I ask Samantha to get her brother to drive us around? I have some extra money. I could offer to pay for gas, ice cream, something."

"Right. Like he'll want to drive us around. You need to give him a good reason."

"Maybe Kevin will want to spy on a filmmaker?"

"That might work… Hey! I caught one!" Jamie began reeling in his line, while Phillip reached for the net.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Billy listened to the phone ring several times before frowning and hanging up. He had guessed that Lee had gone off for the weekend with Amanda, but Lee usually brought his car phone with him. As much as he wanted to be frustrated with Scarecrow for having fun while he was in the office, tracking him down, Billy could not fault the couple for taking a little time alone. He turned to the agent sitting across from his desk. "I'm sorry, Lady Farnsworth, but Lee is still not answering his car phone."

"I suspected as much." She smiled knowingly at Billy.

Billy was not sure what Emily Farnsworth knew about his best pair of agents, but he imagined she had guessed they were seeing one another. He wondered if she knew about the marriage license as well. He had been able to keep that tidbit from Dr. Smyth for the time being, but he could not hide that information forever. Billy had hoped that Lee and Amanda would confide in him before Smyth had to be told.

"In the meantime, I'll have my agents on duty keep an eye on Whitsett. You've already done most of the legwork, such as finding his hotel."

"Mr. Melrose, the man may be a bumbler in some ways, but he is very good at hiring nasty people to do his work. I hope you have experienced agents working on this until Lee and Amanda are back in town."

"I'm doing my best, Lady Farnsworth."

Emily rose from her chair. Billy stood quickly out of politeness and made his way around the desk so he could see her out the door. "I will leave a message for you as soon as I hear from them. In the meantime, I have my men on it."

Just then the phone rang. Seeing Billy's raised hand, Emily waited. Billy hustled to his desk and picked up the receiver.

"Melrose here."

"Billy. It's Lee. I just got your messages. What's up?"

"I need you and Amanda in my office right away. Lady Farnsworth is waiting for you."

"Wow! Really? Emily is there? Uh, geez, Billy. I'm not in town, and it's already seven o'clock. Can it wait until tomorrow?" On his end of the call, Lee held his breath. He would do just about anything for Emily, but Amanda was inside the cabin, putting the finishing touches on their dinner. And he was looking forward to dessert.

Billy looked over at Emily Farnsworth. Seeming to have guessed Lee's response, she waved her hand and mouthed, "Tomorrow is fine," to Billy.

"Can you two be in my office by tomorrow morning at ten?"

Lee was grinning from ear to ear. Their weekend was ruined but their Saturday night was not. "Sure, Billy. I'll swing by Amanda's and pick her up on the way in."

Billy coughed and smirked. "Sure, Lee. See you then."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee followed the two women up the stairs to the Q Bureau, a slight frown on his face. Last night was… The frown changed to a brief grin that faded again. But this morning Amanda said she was feeling under the weather. Now that we're here, she's all bright and cheerful for Emily. Quit being a jerk, Stetson. She did skip breakfast for the second day in a row. You know that's not like her.

"…right, Lee?"

Lee was startled out of his thoughts by the direct question—that he had not heard. "Uh, sorry, Amanda. What was that?" He stepped ahead of the women to unlock the door and hold it open for them.

"I was just saying how we were hoping for an excuse to go to England to see Emily. But now she's come to see us."

"Yeah. That's right." Lee tried to sound enthusiastic. He was not sure if it was okay to use the word "us" around Emily. But she did think of them as partners. He held out a chair for Emily while Amanda went to the refrigerator. He walked around to his desk chair and sat down.

"Emily, would you like anything? I could make you some tea. And we have a little food here."

"No thank you, my dear. I had some tea when I met with Mr. Melrose downstairs earlier."

Lee watched Amanda as she pulled the peanut butter jar and some bread off the top of the refrigerator, then started making a sandwich.

"Unfortunately, as Mr. Melrose told you, we are after our friend Whitsett again."

"Just as long as I don't have to 'hook up' with him at an embassy dinner again." Amanda made a face, then laughed a little. She poured herself a glass of milk, then took it with the sandwich to her desk and sat down.

Lee was quick to answer her. "No, Amanda. He has seen you and will associate you with being taken by the Russians." And I'm not letting my wife "hook up" with anyone.

A gleam came into Emily's eye. "Lee, my boy! You're a genius! It's perfect! Whitsett won't associate Amanda with MI6 or the Agency because he thinks she was used to reel him in for the Russian interrogation."

"Emily, what are you talking about?" Lee was about ready to get up and pace.

"Whitsett has had two Agency operatives watching him. We know his haunts and habits of the last few days. We can have Amanda show up at the bar or restaurant where he is a regular and have her approach him. He'll think Rostov sent her. Or he may simply remember that she was his mule and see if she's interested in replaying her role. Amanda can charm him into giving us details of what he plans to do."

"I'm not sure about charming him, but I'm willing to give it a try."

"I'm not." Lee stood up and started to pace. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Lee, the two of you can wear a couple of disguises and be there to back me up. You can put a wire on me and have Francine monitor me in a van with a couple of other agents if you're really worried."

"Great idea, Amanda." Emily turned to where Lee was pacing. "It's foolproof, Lee."

Lee stopped. He could see that he had no argument against the two women. He sighed in frustration. Then he had a sudden inspiration. "What if we get T.P. to do some snooping first? Why take a risk when we may just need to ask a few questions?" He turned to Emily. "I'm not sure you know T. Percival Aquinas. He is a genius at finding out information."

Emily looked over at Amanda, who raised her eyebrows, then said, "I'm game. Our goal is to see what Whitsett is after."

Lee picked up the phone and dialed. He waited a few moments, and then smiled as the call was answered. "T.P. Hi, it's Lee. Hey, I hate to interrupt your Sunday, but…" He was cut off before he could finish. He looked over at Amanda. "Yes, she's just fine. Thanks." Lee spoke quickly. Telephone pleasantries were not one of his strongpoints. "Listen, we need your help. We're trying to find out what a Sydney Whitsett is up to." He paused and nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. He recently escaped from prison in Britain, and he's in the U.S. We're fairly certain he's back to selling secrets to the Russians." Lee listened for a moment. "Yeah, I figured. But you'll let us know as soon as you find out anything?" Lee nodded again. "Great, thanks." Lee hung up the phone, grinning. Now my wife doesn't have to go anywhere near that sleazeball.

He looked at Amanda and Emily. "T.P. said that today is our lucky day. Normally we would probably have to wait until Monday for the information, but he is on his way to a meeting of his bird watcher's club. It just so happens that at least one of the other members should have some information."

Emily was pleased. "Your friend sounds quite helpful." She grew serious. "However, while you were on the phone, I was thinking that we still need to find out who is working with Whitsett. We only know it's the KGB. We need a name. If Whitsett is caught, they will only try again."

Lee sat back in his chair, the smile gone from his face.

Amanda had the opposite reaction. She sat forward, moving her empty plate and glass aside. "Then I guess we'll have to move forward and map out a plan."

Sighing in resignation, Lee sat forward again. "All right. Let's get the latest report on his surveillance. With any luck, we can get started tonight."


	2. Chapter 2

Their plans in place, Amanda and Emily were cleaning up the Chinese food containers from their lunch. Emily looked at Lee out of the corner of her eye before glancing at Amanda. "You know, I always knew you two would end up together." Turning to Lee, she watched for his reaction.

His face reddening slightly, Lee struggled for a reply. Wow, Emily, you know how to catch your subject off guard.

Amanda came to the rescue. "Oh, you mean as partners? Well, Lee tried to shake me a few times, but Billy kept assigning us to the same cases. Lee finally gave in." She laughed nervously. Behind Emily's back, she offered Lee a panicked look.

Emily was still staring at Lee. "Oh? Then I guess you weren't away together yesterday? Because I had the distinct impression from Billy that you were both unavailable. And since you weren't on a mission, I wondered why you would be carrying those rings in your pocket, Lee. After all, you have never faked being married unless you were on a case."

Patting the shirt pocket where he had placed the rings earlier, Lee's eyes grew large as he looked to Amanda for support. Then he leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair. Finally he got up and started to pace around the office.

Amanda was silent, waiting for her husband's response.

"You know Lee, I was hoping this was good news." Emily smiled indulgently at the flustered agent.

Finally Lee went over to Amanda and put his arm around her. He smiled brightly. "Of course it's good news. I'm probably the happiest man on the planet, having Amanda as my wife." His smile faded. "But we have kept our marriage a secret. No one else knows about it."

Amanda spoke up. "Lee and I felt it would endanger my family if it became known that we were married."

Emily went to hug her friends. "Well, congratulations on your marriage. I couldn't be happier for you both."

Growing a little shy, Amanda smiled over at Lee, then back at Emily. "Actually, I'm glad you know, Emily. It's kind of hard not being able to tell anyone."

Lee held Amanda a little more tightly to his side.

"But, I think you two are mistaken to keep it a secret."

Lee was quick to reply. "How so? A friend of mine's son was held hostage not long ago because his father was an operative…"

"Well, that is unfortunate, if not tragic. But how are Amanda and her family safer when you are not there at night to protect them, Lee? And then there is the matter of building a healthy relationship…"

Jumping in once again, Lee was defensive. "Amanda and I are together almost every day."

"For work. It just isn't the same. Trust me. I know. You'll remember James and I were married for many years. You need time together away from work to do regular, everyday things. Of course time away alone together is very nice. As it is, you only had one day out of the two you had counted on this weekend. Along I came, interrupting your plans."

Lee's expression was contrite, if not a little self-conscious. Emily was like a surrogate mother to him, and he felt badly for disagreeing with her, knowing she meant well. And he knew there was truth to what she was saying. He and Amanda had had their rocky moments here and there as they had adjusted to being married. It never seemed like they had enough time to just be normal together.

Amanda responded to Emily. "Whitsett came along. It wasn't your fault, Emily. Things like this happen sometimes."

Emily smiled sadly, but any reply she had was cut off when the phone rang. Lee rushed to pick it up. He looked over at Amanda. "It might be T.P."

He nodded at the women when his prediction was correct. "Hi, T.P. Thanks for getting back to us so quickly." Lee's comments were interspersed with silence as he listened to T.P. "Yes. We can meet you there. Okay. Goodbye." Lee hung up the phone.

"He wants to meet us at the ice cream shop."

Amanda reached for her sweater. "Oh good. I'm in the mood for tutti frutti."

Lee looked at her strangely. "Really? You always turn up your nose when T.P. suggests it." He put his hand on the small of her back as they followed Emily from the office and down the stairs.

"Somehow it sounds good to me right now. I've been craving some ice cream all day."

"Not earlier this morning. I could barely get you to drink a cup of tea. You didn't even want coffee or the eggs I made for you."

Walking ahead of the Stetsons, Emily smiled to herself.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

The introductions between Emily and T.P. over, Amanda dug into her ice cream with the same enthusiasm as T.P. had for his. Having declined to get their own, Lee and Emily watched them and listened as he filled them in on Whitsett.

"Well, my friends. It appears that our man has been pressed into service to procure plans for the joint British and American spy satellite."

Emily frowned while Amanda looked up at T.P.

Lee leaned forward, his mind working. "But why Whitsett? The man was caught once before. And it was his first big-time job. They could have found a more experienced dealer to get the plans—and saved themselves a lot of trouble. What's the KGB's real plan?"

T.P. looked at Lee, his spoon poised above his bowl. "I'm not exactly sure, Lee, but look at who is paying attention. He's attracted the same three agents who put him in jail over two years ago."

"But Whitsett didn't break himself out of jail. He couldn't have. He never had the resources. We know it was the KGB."

"I won't tell you how to do your job, Lee, but I would tread carefully. This could be a trap."

Emily nodded. "They could be after me, or all three of us."

Amanda put her spoon down and looked down at the half-finished serving of ice cream, then pushed it away. The tutti frutti had lost its appeal. She thought for a moment. "Or, they could be trying to distract us."

Lee was interested. "You mean that they may still want the plans, but hope we'll chase after the wrong guy. That's good, Amanda." He looked proudly at his wife.

"Yes. Or they could be using Whitsett to get the plans, then hope he takes the fall."

Emily beamed. "Clever thinking, Amanda. Then we must proceed with our plan, so we will know who is working with Whitsett."

As the little meeting broke up, T.P. pulled Lee aside. "I just wanted to say congratulations, Lee. As I've said before, Mrs. King, or should I say, Mrs. Stetson, is the best thing that's ever happened to you." At Lee's expression, T.P. laughed. "You didn't really think you could keep it a secret from me, did you, Lee, my boy?"

"I suppose I should have expected you to find out at some point, T.P. But the marriage is a secret, okay? And thanks. Amanda is the best thing that ever happened to me."

T.P. gave Lee a pat on the back before ambling off to his Volvo.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Things went more slowly than they had hoped. The agents following Whitsett had managed to place a bug in his room. He had laid low there all day Sunday, ordering room service and watching movies.

"Apparently he's catching up on what he's missed since he's been in jail. And we know he's there, because he's been on the phone a couple of times with room service, gone to the restroom, that sort of thing."

Amanda looked over at Lee as he drove them to her house. "I'm sorry we couldn't enjoy the rest of our weekend at the cabin."

"Well, at least we had a nice dinner alone at my place." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and saw the flash of metal at the same time as Amanda.

"Lee. We forgot our wedding rings. Again." Lee had fished them out of his pocket at his apartment, prepared to put them away in his hiding place, but Amanda had stopped him.

"Oh, let's wear them a little while longer. We can take them off before we leave here."

Lee had agreed, enjoying the notion of wearing his ring as much as Amanda enjoyed wearing hers. Now, they pulled the rings off of their fingers and Lee placed them carefully in his pocket once again.

"Emily was sweet to bow out of our dinner invitation," Amanda said. "She seemed to invent an excuse to go back to her hotel."

"Well, she's always wanted us to get together, and she felt badly about breaking up our weekend alone." Lee picked up Amanda's hand and held it. "You seem to be feeling better. In fact, I noticed you wolfing down that peanut butter sandwich during our meeting with Emily. And then that strange interest of yours in the tutti frutti ice cream."

"Yes, my stomach is better—although I can't imagine why I wanted that awful tutti frutti. I couldn't finish it." Amanda yawned. "But I'm so sleepy now."

"It's only seven-thirty, Amanda. You took that nap out on the rock yesterday. Are you really feeling better?"

"I guess so. I'm sleepy. Not sick."

As they pulled up to a stoplight, Lee watched his wife for a long moment. She does look exhausted. "Amanda, promise me you'll make an appointment with the doctor if you don't feel better by tomorrow."

"Oh, Lee. We're in the middle of a case. I'll take care of it if I'm not better by the time the case is closed."

"Well, all right." Lee placed his finger under Amanda's chin and turned her face to his. "But humor me and don't put it off any longer than that, okay? It's only been four months since…" Lee did not finish his sentence.

Amanda nodded in understanding and held her tongue. She knew Lee was trying not to treat her with kid gloves. And it is weird that I am not feeling well.

He took her hand again as the light changed. Soon they were pulling up to the house on Maplewood. A familiar couple was entering the house. "Hey, I guess Joe just got back with the boys. Is that Carrie with them?"

"Yeah. He told me it was a boys' weekend. They were so excited to get away alone with him for the first time in months."

"Maybe they picked up Carrie and had dinner or something."

Amanda looked at Lee. She hoped he was right. "Yeah, maybe."

Lee pulled the Corvette to the curb and hurried to help Amanda out of the car before getting her suitcase. He carried it to the front stoop. Before Amanda could open the door, it swung open and Joe was standing there, Carrie right behind him.

Joe shot a look at Lee before greeting his ex-wife. "Hello, Amanda. Hello, Lee. I guess you two are back from your business trip, right on schedule." He looked pointedly at Amanda.

Amanda wrinkled her brow at Joe's expression. "Will you excuse us, Joe? I'd like to say hello to the boys…"

"Dotty just sent them up to the bathroom." He turned to Carrie. "Hon, will you give us a few minutes?"

Carrie smiled at Amanda and Lee. "It was nice to see you. I'll just wait in the car, Joe."

Joe looked at Lee, who stood with Amanda in the entry of the house. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with Amanda alone."

Lee started to say something, but Amanda put a hand on his arm. "If you need to speak with me, Joe, you can speak with Lee, too."

Joe frowned. "Fine. But can we at least go in the living room, where the boys and your mother won't hear us?"

Amanda nodded, and the three moved into the living room and closed the folding doors.

Joe was quick to get to the point. He spoke quietly. "Look, Amanda. I'd love to say that whatever you and Lee do is your business, but we have two boys to think of. They know that you went away for the weekend together."

"On business, Joe." Amanda spoke firmly. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing I worked part of the weekend, so it's not a total lie.

"Look, I know your business. You never get back on time when you're working."

Lee bristled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Any idiot can see you're in a pretty serious relationship." Joe looked at Lee and decided to take a softer approach. "Well, anyone who knows Amanda pretty well can see that. We all know that I had you two figured out a while ago, and to tell the truth, I'm happy for you both."

Amanda could see that Lee was somewhat mollified, but it he was still at a low simmer. She decided to say something before he boiled over again. "Thank you, but please make your point, Joe."

Joe hesitated before saying, "The boys know you were away together for the weekend. They're getting older, Amanda. At some point, they'll figure out, or at least assume, it isn't work. I hate to be a prude, but you're…" Joe shifted uncomfortably and did not complete his sentence.

"…setting a bad example for them. Is that what you were going to say?" Amanda's eyes smarted with tears, but her posture said she was angry.

"Amanda…"

"I think you've said enough for one evening, King. Amanda is a respectable woman." Lee's eyes were flashing. If he had not been inside Amanda's house, Joe might be sprawled on the ground right now, a new bruise forming on his jaw.

"Look. I know Amanda doesn't want to set a bad example. I just think you should know the boys were talking…"

Amanda and Lee looked at one another for a long moment. Lee nodded imperceptibly and sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wedding rings that he had stowed there and held out his palm towards Joe.

Before Joe could register a response, Amanda silently entreated him to keep his voice down.

"Geez, Amanda. Lee. How long has this been going on? Since you were on the run that time? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Joe's expression went from surprise to hurt to confusion. Amanda also thought she detected a little jealousy in his eyes.

"A week ago was our four-month anniversary, Joe." Amanda took Lee's hand and held it. "We decided to keep our marriage a secret because of our jobs. So the boys and Mother would be safer."

Amanda and Lee watched as Joe processed that information. "You were in California for your honeymoon. Oh God. I'm sorry." Joe thought of his own recent honeymoon. It had been carefree and romantic as he and Carrie had roamed the beaches of St. Lucia. Lee had spent much of his honeymoon wondering if his new wife would recover from her nearly fatal gunshot wound.

Lee did his best to keep his mind focused on the present. He gently pulled his hand from Amanda's so he could put his arm around her. "Of course we'll have to ask you to keep this a secret."

"Of course. And I certainly can't blame you for a weekend away, if it really wasn't work. But how are you going to keep it a secret from the boys? Like I said, they're asking questions."

"We'll take it one step at a time, Joe." Amanda and Lee started to follow Joe to the door, but she stopped. "Joe, I do have a question. Did Carrie go with you?"

Joe looked sheepish. "Yes. We hadn't seen much of each other all week. I didn't have the heart to leave her at home, since it's her summer break now."

"But Joe, the boys were counting on time alone with you."

"I'll take them to a game this week. They can stay overnight and I can go into the office late. Maybe Carrie can go to her sister's. You and Lee could have a little time alone."

Amanda's eyes narrowed. "That's a nice plan, Joe, if Carrie goes along with it." She stopped herself before saying anymore. Joe still had his foibles, and she knew arguing would not fix them. "Let us know what you work out. And thank Carrie for being so gracious about waiting while we talked."

After Joe left, Amanda turned to Lee. "The boys are almost done up there. We should probably say good night."

Lee put his arms around his wife and spoke quietly. "Sometimes I wish I could just stay."

"But Lee…"

"No. I mean it. Maybe this whole secret marriage thing was a stupid idea. Your boys need to know their mother isn't fooling around with some guy who doesn't have the decency to propose when he's obviously in love with her. We wouldn't have had that argument with Joe. And I wouldn't be standing here, saying goodbye to my wife."

Amanda looked up at Lee's face, seeing the frustration in his eyes. She tried to imagine what it was like for Lee to go home alone, when she had her family to keep her company. She could hear her boys horsing around upstairs. Dotty moved about, obviously trying to corral them as she sorted through their things. Then Amanda remembered the horror she had felt when they learned about Kai's son. "We'll figure out a way to make this work, Lee. It was a good idea to tell Joe. He's already trying to help."

"Only out of guilt feelings. He's doing to your boys what he did to you."

"At least he still took them camping. And they are our boys. It's okay to say that."

Lee smiled at the thought. "Yeah. Our boys. Look, I'd better let you get upstairs. I love you." He bent his head to kiss Amanda.

As they broke apart, Amanda looked in Lee's eyes once again. "And I love you."

As Lee stepped outside, he turned back to Amanda. "It might be good if we used your jeep tomorrow. Then Emily doesn't have to follow us around in her rental car."

"Good idea. I'll pick you up at your apartment at seven-thirty."

"See you then." Lee leaned back towards Amanda and stole another kiss before going to his car.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Phillip hung up the phone in his mother's bedroom and grinned at Jamie. "I guess we got Kevin on a good day. He's been bored out of his mind. He and Samantha will be over in about a half an hour."

"What do we tell Grandma?"

"That Kevin is taking us to the park, lunch, and a movie after."

"I hope she'll let us go."

"Of course she will, Wormbrain. You know she tried to get Mom and their dad together before Mom met Lee. She thinks Mr. Nelson is great."

Jamie still did not look convinced as he followed his brother downstairs to talk with Dotty.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

In Billy's office, Lee leaned against the window while he listened to Billy and Francine brief him, Amanda, and Emily Farnsworth. Whitsett had finally left his room to visit the bar the night before, and it was not just to get a drink. His fishing expedition had not gone well, so it was naturally assumed he would try again—this time they wanted Amanda there to take his bait. Billy had been adamant that she wear a wire, and Lee had happily agreed.

"And I want you in a van with at least two other agents backing up Amanda, Francine. Lee and Emily can observe from the bar, but I would rather they did not tip their hand unless they absolutely have to."

Francine was fond of making wisecracks in these settings. This meeting was no different. "Gee, Billy. Are you really worried this midnight rambler will try anything? He may not even remember Amanda. She is rather ordinary looking."

Lee's eyebrows shot up and he set his mouth. He would have been happy to defend Amanda, but in these situations, it was better to let her defend herself. Anything he said might arouse suspicion about a possible relationship between them. He waited for Amanda's expected acidic response. Nothing came. He looked over at his wife.

Even Billy looked over, expecting some kind of confrontation over Francine's snide remark.

Amanda was sitting in the corner of the couch, looking miserable. Finally she got up and rushed out of the office. Lee started to go after her, but Francine put out a hand. "I'll go, Lee. I owe her the apology, not you. I didn't think she'd take it so hard."

Emily raised her eyebrows and the three continued going over the notes from the surveillance on Whitsett, as well as the technical aspects of their operation.

In the bathroom, Amanda was hanging onto the door of the stall, trying not to throw up again. She turned to the sinks just as Francine walked in.

"Oh, Amanda. You're as pale as a sheet. Are you okay?"

Amanda swallowed before she spoke. "Yeah. I'll be okay in a minute. I must have eaten something last night…" She grabbed a few paper towels and ran cold water over them, placing one on the back of her neck and using the others on her face. Soon the nausea passed.

Francine helped her over to the chairs. "Look, I'm sorry I made that remark about your looks. I was just being snide to lighten the mood. I shouldn't have done it at your expense."

Not feeling charitable at the moment, Amanda could not stop herself from being blunt in return. "Well, things have sure changed over the last five years, Francine. I have to say I'm surprised you are apologizing."

"Well, at least I am." Francine sat up stiffly, but to her credit, she did not flounce off.

"Yes, you are." Amanda relented and patted Francine's arm. "Apology accepted." She stood up. "We had better get back to that meeting."

Lee met them in the hallway, holding Amanda's purse. "The meeting is over. Emily went up to the Q Bureau." Francine left them there and went into the bullpen to pull her team together.

He put his arm around his wife and guided her to the elevator. "Amanda, you don't look well. What happened?"

"I'm fine, Lee."

The elevator doors opened and they went in, pushing aside the coats that served to disguise the small room as a closet when it was entered from the Georgetown foyer. After rearranging the coats, Lee placed his finger under Amanda's chin and tipped it. "Amanda, are you sure you are up for this operation? We can find someone else. Maybe you need to go home."

"I just need a cup of tea."

"Did you eat breakfast? I can get you something."

Amanda's hand flew to her mouth.

Lee grimaced at his blunder. "Okay, scratch that. We'll get you a cup of tea." He guided Amanda out of the elevator and up the stairs, where Emily waited in the hallway.

Her eyebrows knit together as she took in Amanda's appearance. "My dear, you look like you could use a cup of tea."

"Exactly, Emily. Thanks. Amanda was just saying she'd like one."

Emily did not hesitate, but went right to work, filling the electric tea pot with water from the cooler in the hallway. Soon Amanda was slowly sipping from a mug while Emily Farnsworth and Lee were putting their heads together over the disguises they would use when they followed Amanda to Whitsett's hotel.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

In his embassy office, Rostov sipped his Russian tea unhappily. The latest message from Moscow had been irritating, to say the least. He knew that the KGB was using Whitsett as a decoy, but Rostov could not determine why he was being kept in the dark as well. He was loyal to the mother country, but he did not like the way things were going. He had always held a position of power, most recently as the senior KGB man in Washington, and this was the first time he had been kept out of the loop. Perhaps it was time to find out why.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Kevin Nelson reached in the bag for another donut hole. Finding it empty, he smashed the bag and wadded it up into a ball. He turned around to face Phillip. "I thought you said we were going to follow filmmakers around today. When is this going to happen? We've been here almost an hour."

Trying not to show his own concern, Phillip offered the older boy a nervous smile. "It's gotta be soon, Kevin. My mom's car is still parked right over there. They never use her car unless they have something going on outside the office. And we know her boyfriend's car is working, because he drove it home last night and parked in his apartment garage."

Rolling his eyes, Kevin turned back around. Anything is better than doing chores for Dad, I guess. And Phillip is feeding us.

Just a few minutes later, they saw Lee escort a woman out of the IFF building. Jamie, sitting in the front seat with Kevin, noticed that Lee kept his hand on the woman's back, the same way he had seen Lee walk with his mother. But this was not his mom. She looked slightly familiar, but the hat she wore made it hard to see her face. He wondered at Lee's familiar behavior towards her. Then, as he helped the woman into the front seat of the Jeep, they laughed together. Lee was grinning as he walked around to the driver's door. Jamie did not notice that Lee was not wearing his usual tie, and that his sport jacket was rather garish. He was busy watching Lee's face and the expression of the woman with him.

"Well, that isn't your mom with the guy. Should we follow him?"

"Yeah. You remember how I told you to do it?"

Kevin rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, Junior. I've seen a few cop shows, myself."

None of the teenagers wondered about the black van that drove behind the Jeep as they pulled into traffic behind it, keeping a few cars back.


	3. Chapter 3

Inside the van, Amanda adjusted her skirt and checked her makeup again. Watching her, Francine smirked a little. "Gee, Amanda. I never thought I'd see you in that get up. Usually they make me wear it."

Sighing, Amanda glanced briefly at Francine. The nausea had gone away, and now she was hungry. She was grumpy, but she did her best to be patient with the blonde agent. Francine is just trying to keep me from being nervous. "This really is not my thing."

"Oh, but in that dress, you'll turn a few heads. Whitsett will notice you. No problem."

"I just hope Lee isn't listening to my mic, if I get a proposition."

"He'll be watching, but Emily will keep him under control. You know, it's amazing how besides you, she's the only person who can do that. She's like his mother or something."

Amanda knew that there was a good reason for that. The two had a connection—Lee's mother had been British, and Emily still used her British accent in the field. And she had mysteriously alluded once to knowing the Stetsons when Lee was young. She had covered quickly for herself, but Amanda was certain that it had been a slip. If Emily had a story, she was not ready to share it. But Amanda had suspected that some kind of history with Matthew and Jennifer Stetson accounted for Emily's motherly concern for Lee.

Francine broke into her reverie. "So, you feeling better?"

"Yes. I had some tea. I guess I'm past it."

"Let's check your wire again. We'll be dropping you off soon. Chang and Swanson said that Whitsett met with a high-ranking officer—a Colonel Marshall—this morning. My guess is the KGB gave Whitsett some blackmail material. I'm surprised he's talking with the colonel himself and not hiring someone else to do it."

"So he should be ready for a drink and looking for some company."

"Uh, yeah." Francine smiled at Amanda, trying to reassure her.

They completed the check while Efraim Beaman parked the van in an alley behind the hotel. Lee drove the Jeep to the front entrance, leaving the vehicle with the agent who was undercover as a valet.

Kevin drove his Chevy Nova past the hotel and parked around the corner. "What now, Junior?"

It was Jamie's turn to roll his eyes. "We go in, of course."

"But what if your mom's boyfriend sees us?"

"We won't let him." And I want to know why he's taking that lady to a hotel without Mom.

"How will we manage to keep Lee from seeing us, Wormbrain?"

Samantha elbowed Phillip. "Hey, don't call him that, Phillip," she whispered.

Jamie ignored the name-calling. "There's another entrance over there. Kevin can follow Lee and the lady into the hotel, and we can go in the side entrance and wait for him to tell us what's going on."

Opening his door, Kevin said, "Sounds like a plan, Junior. Let's go, or he may go upstairs with her or something."

Jamie and Phillip exchanged looks and jumped out of the car, Samantha in tow.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

From their seat in the lounge, Lee and Emily had an open view of the room. The bar ran along one end of the room. A large mirror dominated the wall behind the bar. Lee and Emily nursed their sodas as they watched Amanda saunter in and perch herself on a stool by the bar. Keeping her back to the room, she watched in the mirror for Whitsett to enter. She ordered a glass of champagne, but only pretended to sip it. No need to get drunk on an empty stomach. And get sick again.

From his hiding place near a pillar in the lobby outside the lounge, Kevin could see Lee and Emily, but he had missed Amanda walk in and could not see her at the bar. He sat down in the chair nearby and watched. The adults made small talk and sipped on their drinks, but Kevin saw nothing unusual in their behavior. A middle-aged man with a moustache and a receding hairline temporarily blocked his view as he walked into the lounge and went towards the bar.

Seeing Whitsett enter, Amanda slowly swiveled in her stool and crossed her legs.

In his seat, Lee fidgeted nervously. Eyeing him, Emily whispered, "Now, Lee. She needs to get his attention." She patted his knee.

"I just wish she didn't have to show off her assets like that."

Emily raised her eyebrows and did not say anything more.

From his vantage point in the lobby, Kevin blew out his breath a little. This is kind of boring. Maybe I should tell Junior the latest. He got up and went to the hallway that led to the side entrance.

Phillip was eager for information. "Whatcha got?"

"Well, they're just sitting there talking. But the lady did put her hand on your mom's boyfriend's knee."

Phillip looked at his brother, his brow creased in a frown.

"Just keep watching them. They can't sit there forever." Jamie gestured for Kevin to go back to the lobby.

Samantha placed a hand on Phillip's arm. "You know, I thought you said they were filmmakers. Maybe he works with the lady and they're waiting for their crew."

"Well, whatever they're doing, now I really want to know." Phillip was still frowning.

In the lounge, Whitsett had not failed to notice the nice pair of legs at the bar. His eyes slowly traveled up Amanda's body as he sauntered over to her. "Why, hello. You look familiar. Have we met before?"

Amanda flashed him a smile. "I'm not sure. You do look a little familiar to me, too." She swiveled her stool to make room for Whitsett and patted the stool next to her. "Have a seat."

Across the lounge, Lee was squirming, doing his best to keep his cool. Emily patted his arm and took a sip of her soda. "She's doing just fine, Lee." They watched as Whitsett ordered a drink and made small talk with Amanda.

With his own glass of champagne in hand, Whitsett failed to notice that Amanda wasn't drinking hers. He kept staring at her face as Amanda pretended to think of ways that they might have met. "Perhaps it was at this hotel. I often stay here when I'm in town."

"That might be it. Or was it an embassy function?"

Whitsett was getting close to guessing accurately, so Amanda knew she had to act quickly. She moved her arm across the bar and knocked her purse to the floor. "Oh!" She started to get off her stool.

"No. Please, allow me."

The capsule ready in her hand, Amanda quickly emptied it into Whitsett's champagne flute and gave the glass a swirl before Whitsett could stand back up. He took a long look at Amanda's legs as he did so.

"I say, would you care to join me for lunch? The restaurant here is quite good."

Amanda could tell from Whitsett's behavior that he was hoping for something else later. She prayed for an excuse to get him to finish his champagne.

"That would be lovely. But I had a late breakfast. Perhaps we could finish our champagne, first?"

Whitsett smiled. He did enjoy a nice glass of champagne. "Certainly." He climbed back onto his stool and began to sip from his glass.

Kevin's chair was occupied when he came back to the lobby, so he found another one near a large plant. This time his view of Lee and Emily was more limited. He watched as they continued to sip their drinks. Bored with their lack of activity, Kevin's eyes wandered to the woman in the red dress at the bar. His eyes popped as he watched Whitsett pick up Amanda's purse and ogle her legs. He did his best not to run as he hurried back to Jamie and Phillip.

"Your mom is here, too! She's hooking up with some guy at the bar. You know, Phillip. I never realized how hot your mom was until just now."

Angry at Kevin's careless words, Jamie and Phillip pushed past Kevin and peeked out into the lobby. Samantha hung back and whispered to her brother. "Couldn't you have worded that a little better, Kevin?"

All four teenagers did not fail to notice Amanda leave the bar with Whitsett, his arm draped over her shoulder. They headed to the elevator and pressed the button.

Jamie and Phillip turned around quickly, missing Lee and Emily as they hurriedly followed Amanda and Whitsett to the elevator. "I think we've seen enough."

Samantha looked back and saw Lee take Whitsett from Amanda as the elevator doors were closing. Emily stood by Amanda, obviously willing the doors to close. Samantha turned to follow the boys. "Wait, Phillip. Jamie!" She ran after Kevin and the King brothers as they all headed for the side entrance of the hotel.

Francine and her crew saw the teens, but did not pay close attention to them as they carried their equipment into the hotel. Having booked adjoining suites, the plan was to record Whitsett spilling the beans to Amanda while Lee and Emily waited nearby as backup.

Kevin unlocked the doors with his keys and all four teenagers climbed in the Nova.

"Jamie! Phillip! You need to listen to me. Your mom's boyfriend followed your mom onto the elevator. There were four people in the elevator when the doors closed."

Jamie looked at Samantha, trying to decide if she was telling the truth.

Phillip did not spend any time reflecting on her words. "You're just trying to make us feel better, Samantha. That's nice of you, but I saw what I saw. My mom is two-timing Lee. And he seems to be doing the same to her."

"But why would they be dumb enough to cheat on each other in the same hotel? In the same bar?" Kevin turned around and raised his eyebrows at the King brothers.

"He has a point, Phillip." Jamie looked at his brother, hoping he would see reason.

"But why were they even there? Maybe Lee was with a friend, and they were spying on Mom."

"They weren't doing a very good job of hiding then. Come on, Phillip. I don't know what they are doing. Maybe the guy works with them and he got drunk, so they…"

"…took him up to his room."

Kevin looked around at his sister and the Kings. "Tell you what. I'll go get us some burgers. My treat. This is kind of fun. We'll wait here and see if they come back and get the Jeep." He nodded to a spot across the street. "The valet parked it just over there."

Phillip looked at Jamie, who nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Kevin. He smiled over at Samantha. "Sorry I didn't believe you. I'm glad you stayed to watch."

Smiling shyly, Samantha replied, "I just couldn't believe your mom would do something like that."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee hauled Whitsett to the couch in the hotel suite. He loosened his tie and with Emily's help, pulled off Whitsett's suit jacket. Emily rolled up the man's sleeve and gave him an injection.

Amanda winced. "I wish we didn't have to do that."

Lee put his arm around his wife. "I know. But we are running out of time and can't risk letting the KGB know we are onto them. This was the best way." He made a face. "Except for the part where he was checking you out. And this next part, if he wakes up too much."

Emily raised her eyebrows. "I gave him a minimal amount, Lee. He should stay quite groggy."

Lee realized too late how that sounded. "Of course, Emily. We'd better go in the next room."

They slipped inside the bedroom and closed the double doors most of the way, leaving them open just a crack so they could hear Amanda and Whitsett.

Amanda sat down next to Whitsett on the couch. She ran her hand along his arm and called his name. "Sydney! Sydney!"

"Wha?" He opened his eyes and tried to raise his head, but fell against Amanda. Pushing himself upright, he looked over at her groggily. He smiled at her. "Oh, hello."

Amanda smiled at Whitsett. "You must have had a little too much champagne." She giggled, trying to give the impression she had drunk a little too much herself.

Whitsett tried to put his hand on Amanda's leg, but missed. He tried again, but Amanda caught his hand and held it. "Sydney. You really are a charmer. I have had such a good time with you today."

He looked around. "Where are we?"

"In my suite. Don't you remember? Really, Sydney. I think you've had too much champagne." She giggled again.

In the next room, Lee looked at Emily and rolled his eyes. She smiled back. Things were going well so far.

"Well, things surely are going well, then." Sydney looked at Amanda's face again. "You know, you really do look awfully familiar. I think we met at an embassy function. You were in a lovely white dress. I was… Oh, you're that mule I used!"

Whitsett tried to push himself up off the sofa, but he failed and collapsed back onto the cushions.

"Oh, Sydney. I don't know what you mean by a mule. I do remember you, too, now. You were not feeling well then, either."

"Yes, well…" Whitsett had a vague feeling of unease, but he could not help hoping that he might be able to shake the alcohol enough to enjoy the lovely creature next to him.

"So, what are you doing here in D.C., anyway?" Amanda kept her voice light. "Do you come here often?"

"Actually, I haven't been here in a couple of years. I've been detained." Despite his feeling of unease, Whitsett felt an overwhelming urge to be honest with the woman next to him. He blurted out, "I was in prison."

Emily raised her eyebrows at Lee. He nodded at her and smiled. He should have known better than to doubt her. Whitsett is going to sing like a bird.

"Oh, really? I don't believe it. You don't seem the type at all."

"Yes, well, I fell into some bad luck. Anyway, I had some help getting out, and I'm here to do a job."

"Oh really? What kind of job?"

"My former employers have asked me to get some plans for them."

"Oh, that sounds interesting. My brother is an architect…"

"Not those kind of plans. Military plans. I told Rostov I would have them to him by tomorrow. I've already set things up so I should be right on time."

"I'm sure Rostov will be pleased. As will his bosses. Who is giving you the plans?"

"Colonel Marshall. The people who got me out of prison gave me some photos of him with a woman. And let's just say it wasn't his wife."

Whitsett's uneasy feeling was growing. Why am I telling her all of this? I can't seem to shut up. He realized that he did not know the name of the woman next to him on the couch. And they were doing far too much talking and not enough…

"You look thirsty. Would you like some more champagne? A glass of water?"

Better not drink any more champagne, chap. "Oh, some water would be nice."

Amanda brought the water after emptying another capsule into it.

Whitsett put the glass to his mouth and drained it. He made a slight face. "The water here has an off-taste, don't you think?"

As Whitsett's head began to nod, Amanda called out to him. "Sydney! You're falling asleep again!" She caught him and did her best to lower his head to the couch's seat cushion. She met Lee and Emily at the doors to the bedroom.

"Good work, Amanda! We'll take him to his room and head back to the Agency."

After they shut the door to Whitsett's room, Amanda turned to Lee. "You must be hungry. It's well past lunch." She hoped that Lee would not ask her about her own stomach. A growing conviction about the cause of her daily nausea had been on her mind, and she did not want the very observant Emily to start thinking along the same lines. But she was starving and beginning to feel faint from a lack of food. And if it is what I think it is, I can do something to make some of these symptoms go away, if I plan ahead.

Lee looked sharply at Amanda, who had grown pale. "I am. Do you want something?"

"That would be great."

"Okay. You should ride with Emily and me back to the Agency. We'll stop for sandwiches."

In Billy's office, Lee was leaning against the window in his usual spot, trying not to let Amanda notice him observing her. Now that she had eaten, her color had returned, but he was growing more and more concerned about her health as each day went by. At the deli, he had insisted on helping Amanda to a seat, leaving her there with Emily while he went to order their lunch.

Maybe she went back into the field too soon. He forced himself to focus on the conversation, as Emily laid out her plan to meet with Colonel Marshall.

"That sounds like an excellent plan, Emily, but I insist you have our agents close by. The KGB is likely to be watching Marshall, and I'd like to make sure you make it back to England safe and sound."

Amanda spoke up. "She can wear a wire, Sir, and use her American accent." Amanda looked over at Emily, hoping her friend would not mind that minor disclosure.

Billy was firm. "But you and Lee will not leave the van. The KGB will spot you in a second. Francine can come along as backup."

After the meeting broke up, Lee stopped Amanda in the hall. "Amanda, I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself for the last three days. You were pretty pale earlier. Are you okay? We could drop you by your house…"

"I'm fine, now. I just need to change my clothes, and I'll be ready to go."

Placing his hand on her back, Lee walked with Amanda to the elevator. He wanted to insist that Amanda go home to rest, but he knew from past experience that she would only argue with him and become frustrated. Not knowing what was wrong with his wife, he did not want to upset her. He had been trying to overcome his fears for her safety, and he could not help but admit that it was good to be working in the field together again. It just had not been right without her. Oh God. What if it's her heart again? Maybe some kind of relapse from her wound… Lee mentally shook himself. Let's just get through today. Hopefully I can get her into the doctor tomorrow.

On the street outside, the teens watched the Jeep once again.

"It was kind of weird that they left without the guy. I guess he was sick or something." Jamie wrinkled up his nose, trying to work out his mother's and Lee's strange behavior. And that lady with them looked familiar.

"And why was Mom wearing that dress?"

Samantha tried to be helpful. "Was it some kind of costume? Does she act in the films they produce?"

"They produce documentaries. There are no actors." Jamie had a nagging feeling that something was not right. He did not say anything, but he thought Amanda looked tired. The old fears about her health started to come back. But she told me that she was all better now. That's why she went back to work. He pushed the thoughts away, trying to concentrate on the mystery before them.

Soon they were following the Jeep once again. This time Amanda rode up front with Lee, and Emily sat in the backseat.

"Obviously that was some kind of costume. Your mom is wearing her normal clothes again. And they all know each other. Maybe they are acting." Samantha tried to sound reassuring.

The Jeep stopped at a hotel near Embassy Row. All three got out, but the strange woman waited on the curb while Lee asked a valet to park the car. Then he and Amanda went to a black van that had pulled up on the street nearby. Lee opened the back door and helped Amanda climb inside before he shut the door again. They did not come out.

"Hey, I think I saw that black van at the other hotel." Kevin sat up in his seat, watching.

Soon the valet appeared with a non-descript sedan. The strange woman gave him a tip and she got in the car, driving off with the van following her.

Soon the two vehicles approached a government office building. The van drove away from the woman's car and parked at the far end of the parking lot. Kevin parked his car a few aisles over from the woman's car, so they could watch her as she entered the building.

"Did you guys notice that she had changed her clothes again? She looked like a scientist or something." Jamie turned to the other teens in the car.

"Maybe they're shooting another scene." Kevin was somewhat bored again. It was more fun to watch Mrs. King and the old guy at the bar. He tossed some Red Hots into his mouth.

In the van, Francine, Lee, and Amanda had donned headsets. Lee watched his wife as they ran the mic checks with Emily and each other. She seems fine now. Just tired. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe it's just a bug. As Lee thought over her symptoms, something in the back of his mind seemed to tie them all together. Before he could think it through, he was brought back to the task on hand by Emily's voice over the headset. Her accent was American. Southern, to be exact.

"Good day. I am here to see Colonel Marshall."

"Please set your I.D. on the counter, Ma'am, and sign this register."

"The weather is lovely today, isn't it? I was afraid it would start to warm up."

"Yes, Ma'am. Do you know how to find the colonel's office?"

"Third floor, to the left of the elevator, right?"

"That's right."

Apparently Emily rode the elevator alone, because she spoke into her mic. "All is well so far."

The three listened as Emily greeted the secretary and was sent back to speak with the Colonel. They could hear his voice in the background as Emily walked into his office.

"Dr. Farmer? You'll excuse me if I'm not familiar with your name."

"Oh well, there are so many of us working on this project. But before we start, I wanted to tell you about something strange that happened to me this morning. Do you know that someone actually tried to blackmail me into giving away the plans for the spy satellite?"

"Oh, really?" Amanda, Lee, and Francine exchanged looks. Colonel Marshall did not sound comfortable.

"Because if I was going to be blackmailed, I wouldn't cave to some small-time artist like this man Whitsett who approached me. Besides, he had the wrong person. I'm certainly not Dorinda Thurgood, who looks more like a model than a researcher, if you know what I mean."

"Well, one would hope none of us would or could be blackmailed."

Lee smiled over at Amanda and Francine. "I can practically hear the sweat dripping off this guy."

"No, of course not. As you can imagine, I contacted the authorities right away. I went to the trouble of contacting a federal agent and reported Whitsett. They are launching a full-scale operation to catch him and anyone who has leaked information to him."

"Really? Do you think you could give me the name of the agent? I might want it if this Whitsett contacts me."

"Actually, I have his card. William Melrose. Here's the number—there."

"Terrific. Thanks. So, what can I do for you, Dr. Farmer?"

"Well, I wanted to go over some of the details for the reflective panels, and see if you could increase the budget for us."

"Not a problem. Where can I sign?"

"Sheesh. She's made his day. Now he thinks he's making hers. No wonder people criticize the DOD budget."

Amanda and Lee snickered at Francine's remark.


	4. Chapter 4

Within the hour, the team was once again in Billy's office, and the teens were parked on the street outside.

"Junior, it's getting late. Your grandmother will talk to my dad and we'll all get in trouble if I don't get you guys home." Kevin signaled and pulled out into traffic, pointing the Nova in the direction of Arlington.

Phillip looked at Jamie and shrugged his shoulders. They both knew he was right. It was after four o'clock.

In Billy's office, Lee was leaning against the windows for the third time that day. Obviously worried about being caught in a blackmailing scandal, Colonel Marshall had decided to be proactive and had called Billy right after Emily had left his office. Lee listened as Emily debriefed with Billy about her meeting with the colonel, but he watched his wife once again. She just looks tired. This case is almost over. We're going to the doctor tomorrow if I have anything to say about it.

A knock sounded on the door to the office. At the sight of one of the office assistants, Billy called out, "Come in."

The young woman looked around the room, growing shy when she saw Lee glance at her. "Uh, sir. The security team is on the line. They say that the same Chevy Nova was parked on the street outside once again. It has the same plates as the car that followed the van to the hotel earlier."

"Please put the call through and I'll speak with them."

"Billy, you didn't tell us about the tail."

"Jones noticed it on the way to Emily's hotel, Lee. He thought he lost them after the hotel, so we didn't mention it to you. I was planning to bring it up in this meeting."

The phone rang, and Billy picked it up. "Melrose here. So, I heard the car was on the street. Did someone follow it? Well, why the hell not, man? Did you at least run the plates?" Billy scribbled something on a sheet of paper. "Well, I expect a background on the owner of the vehicle on my desk ASAP. And I want an agent assigned to watch the owner's house."

Billy hung up the phone and turned to Amanda. "Ever hear of a John Nelson? He lives near you in Arlington. He's the owner of the Nova that followed the van. We're running a check on him."

Amanda's eyes grew large and she looked over at Lee, then back at Billy. "Phillip has a friend named Samantha Nelson. Her father's name is John."

Billy thought for a moment, but decided to continue the conversation after everyone else had left. He looked at Francine. "Desmond, I want you to set up an op for tomorrow. We're going to give Colonel Marshall some plans for Whitsett, but it will be like last time. Get someone in crypto to make some changes that will render the plans useless. And I want a team there, ready to bring in Whitsett and anyone else he's working with—Rostov if need be."

As the meeting broke up, Billy asked Amanda to stay behind. When Lee sat down in a chair, Billy looked over at him. "Lee, you don't need to stay. I just want to ask Amanda a few questions about the Nelsons. This could be the KGB closing in on our investigation."

"Actually, if it concerns Amanda, it concerns me." Lee was not sure why John Nelson was tailing him and his wife around town, but he was determined to find out why. And I sure as hell want to know if the KGB is a threat.

Billy stifled a chuckle. "Oh, really? I know you two have something going on outside of work, but…" He hoped that Lee might make a slip and spill the beans about their marriage.

Seeing his gaffe, Lee stuttered a bit. "Well, we're partners. We all know that."

"Just partners, Lee?" Billy decided to push the issue.

Lee was not looking at Billy because he was too busy sending silent signals to Amanda.

She nodded at him and sat back in her chair, placing a hand on her stomach first, then quickly moving it to her lap. If I'm right, it will be so much easier if we get this part out of the way. It's going to be hard enough telling Lee.

Might as well get it over with, Stetson. "Uh, Billy. We're married." Lee looked a little sick, waiting for the section chief's reaction.

"Well, then! Congratulations are in order! I always knew I was right, having you two work together." Billy stood up and came to shake Lee's hand, then gave Amanda a hug.

Lee's face was a mixture of surprise and relief at his superior's reaction. Amanda sighed, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Sitting back down, Lee reached for Amanda's hand.

His eyes twinkling, Billy went back to his desk chair and took his seat. He placed his elbows on the desk and grinned at the agents. He really was pleased they had finally gotten married, even though he was a bit miffed that they had kept the marriage a secret for so long. "I should be honest and tell you that I've known for a several weeks about your wedding. It came up during a random security review of the courthouses in the counties surrounding D.C. Why did you wait so long to tell me? I've been hoping you would."

Lee grew uncomfortable again. "You know, Billy, when I called you from California, I hadn't just rushed to Amanda's side. We were both there on our honeymoon."

"Oh." Billy's grin faded and he grew sober. "I am sorry about that. You know, at some point you two need to take another honeymoon."

"Thank you, Sir. But that's not why we didn't tell you. It was for my family's security."

The phone rang again. Billy looked apologetically at the couple. "I should take this. It could be about Nelson."

Once he was off the phone, Amanda spoke again. "Sir, we were worried about the boys' and Mother's safety. After Kai…"

Billy put a hand to stop her. "Well, it seems that you have a safety issue close to home, now. Apparently our agent came across the Nova before it made it to the Nelson home. He says that two boys, in their early teens, were seen getting out of the car at 4247 Maplewood Drive in Arlington. The driver was a young male, and there was a girl with him."

Amanda leaned forward, worried. "Sir, it sounds like Samantha's older brother, Kevin, drove my boys and his sister around today. Since their parents divorced, he has kept an eye on her."

"Well, it also sounds like your boys thought it would be entertaining to find out what their mother does for work." Billy smiled ruefully. "Amanda, I know I don't have to lecture you about this."

Amanda went pale, remembering the hook up with Whitsett at the hotel lounge. She gripped the sides of the chair and turned to her partner. "Oh Lee, you don't suppose?"

Concerned at his wife's expression and remembering the lecture Joe had given them the other night, Lee was trying not to panic. He started to say something, but Billy cut him off.

"Now, don't assume the worst." His voice was kindly. "You know, when my girls started to get older, Jeannie and I decided that the best thing was to tell them what I did for a living. Not too many details, but enough so they understood the need to take precautions. You know we have classes for family members. You don't need to worry that your family will end up like Kai's."

"Oh, but they don't even know we're married." Amanda was not feeling well. She continued to grip the chair's armrests.

"Well, you two may have to spill the beans on that one, too, at some point. It's better to have them take precautions—and not follow you around while you are working. They could have interfered with the operation. Or worse, if the KGB was following Whitsett…"

Gazing at his wife, Lee was eager to cut off Billy's line of reasoning before Amanda became more upset. "Uh Billy, I think we get the point." He turned to Amanda. "I need to take you home."

"Right. I need to talk with the boys."

"That's not the only reason. You haven't been yourself since before the weekend—and it keeps getting worse. You're seeing the doctor tomorrow. Please don't argue with me."

Putting her head on her hand, Amanda nodded. She dreaded the fallout of the Agency doctor telling her what she was fairly certain of already. Face it, Amanda. You can't keep it a secret for long. You know it's a risk to be on an operation if you aren't well. And if it is what you think it is… Well, all the more reason to play it safe. But I just want to finish this case with Lee. And Emily.

Amanda forced herself to sit up straight. The faint feeling had passed. "I will see my doctor tomorrow afternoon. I'll even make an appointment before I leave tonight. Hopefully I will be better, or we will have everything wrapped up by then."

"Well, that would be nice, Amanda. But Lee is right. I'm making that an order. If you aren't feeling better tomorrow, I want you to report to the medical staff, not just your personal physician. If you continue to have symptoms, you'll be a risk to the team." Billy chuckled. "Although I must say that it is pretty amusing to hear Scarecrow insisting that anyone go to the doctor."

Once they ended their meeting with Billy, Lee and Amanda found Emily catching up on phone calls at a desk in the bull pen. Amanda excused herself to call her doctor. Then she called home.

"Mother, I'll be a little late. Lee and I have to drop off a friend at a hotel… I know, but she's… Well, okay. Let me ask." Amanda put her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Lee and Emily. "Mother is insisting that you both join us for dinner. She made a roast..."

Lee was hoping he could offer Amanda some moral support when she confronted the boys. "Sounds great."

Emily hesitated. "I would love to come, Amanda, but I do have an old friend I'm meeting for dinner tonight. Perhaps you and your mother would like to join me for tea at that quaint little tea house again before I leave?"

"Oh, I'm sure she would. But if you can come for dinner another evening, that would be nice."

"Most certainly. And please pass on the invitation to her."

"Lee said it sounds great, but Lady Farnsworth has other plans, Mother. She wants us to have tea at the tea house with her, and she'll come another evening before she leaves town."

As the three emerged from the Agency and started towards the Jeep, Lee put his hands on the backs of the two women and leaned in to speak quietly. "I think I saw Rostov near the Jeep just now."

Before they had time to react, Rostov stepped out onto the sidewalk and approached them. "You are chasing a decoy." He stepped back into the shadows and waited for them to leave.

Lee looked over at Emily, then Amanda, before guiding the women to the vehicle. "I'm glad we went through the hassle of getting you that car phone, Amanda. We need to call Billy."

Reaching Billy on the phone, Amanda told him about Rostov's comment. "Yes, Sir. We also wondered the same thing, since Whitsett had been caught before and was not experienced the first time." Amanda looked across the front seat at Lee, who glanced back at her, trying to guess what Billy was saying.

"Yes, Sir. I will tell him. Thank you, Sir." Amanda ended the call and put her car phone away. "He said that he will tell the surveillance teams watching Colonel Marshall to keep a sharp eye out. The colonel said he is meeting at ten a.m. with Whitsett. Beaman is looking at the flash traffic to see if there has been any other activity having to do with those plans."

Having taken Emily to her hotel, the couple headed towards Arlington. Before they reached Amanda's usual exit, she put her hand on Lee's arm. "Would you get off here, please? I thought I'd go the Pay 'n Go. I want to get something for the nausea, and they have more variety there."

"Are you sure? You always go to the pharmacy in your neighborhood."

"Yes, please." Amanda hoped Lee would not press the issue. She did not want anyone she knew to see what she was purchasing.

Lee looked at his wife sideways and started to say something, then decided against it. The nagging feeling he had had earlier in the day was back. Amanda's symptoms added up to something, and somehow, he should know what it was. He thought back over the last few days.

His thoughts were interrupted once again as Amanda directed him to the drug store.

When Amanda insisted she go in alone, Lee sat in the Jeep. He was using the time to think through her symptoms again, when he was distracted by the harried mother and her three children who parked next to him. As the woman pulled one of the children from a car seat, it finally dawned on him.

Her errand completed, Amanda stuffed the bag containing her purchase into her purse and went back out to the car.

"No luck?"

"Oh, it's in my purse. It was a small package."

Instead of backing out of the parking space, Lee regarded his wife. "Amanda, what aren't you telling me? I'm your husband. Clearly you're covering something up."

"What makes you say that?"

"I know you too well. You've had me worried sick at times these last couple of days, but you don't seem worried at all. Even if this isn't something serious, you need to tell me what's wrong."

"It isn't anything serious."

Lee took her hand. "I've been thinking that something was wrong with your heart. You know, maybe you didn't heal up all the way, and the doctor missed something… Then I got to thinking about your symptoms and wondered if it might be something else." Lee waited for her response.

He has a good point about having a right to know. You're scaring the poor man, when the truth is, you're afraid of what he'll say. He has a right to know. You might be wrong about how he'll react. He might enjoy finding out.

"I think I'm pregnant."

I was right! "Really?"

Amanda was not sure how to read Lee's expression. "I was wondering if you would figure it out."

"Last month, at the cabin… You forgot the…"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

Amanda thought she detected a sparkle in her husband's eyes. Was his dimple starting to show? "You don't seem upset."

"Why would I be upset? We might be having a baby." Lee was quiet a moment, then a big grin spread across his face. "We might be having a baby!" He leaned over and threw his arms around his wife, hugging her tightly to him.

Breathing a heavy sigh, Amanda could not contain her relief. "Oh, I was so afraid to tell you."

Lee was sober as he pulled away and squeezed her hand. "Because the great Scarecrow used to be afraid of kids. You probably thought I never wanted any of my own."

"Well, we've never talked about it. To tell you the truth, I was afraid to talk about it."

Rather than reply immediately, Lee backed the Jeep out of the parking space and started towards Maplewood Drive. He wanted to take a minute to make sure he formed the right words.

Looking over at his wife, he felt a pang of guilt, knowing this topic of conversation was long overdue. "You know, I've come to love Phillip and Jamie like they are my own boys. But before we were married I had started thinking it would be great if we could have one of our own. I was afraid to bring it up before the wedding, because of the scare with Kai's family. Then after you were hurt, it seemed out of the question." Lee was quiet a moment. "You haven't been well, Amanda. Are you sure it's okay for you to be pregnant already?"

"I'm probably fine. And we don't know for sure. I just have the same symptoms I had with the boys. Only I think it's a little worse this time because I'm older." Amanda hesitated. "I bought a test at that Pay 'n Go because I was afraid a neighbor might see me. No one knows I'm married again."

Lee glanced over at Amanda, regret on his face. "I'm so sorry. This whole secret marriage idea was idiotic. It's bad enough being apart from each other, but now you're worried about your reputation." Lee looked ahead, determination on his face. "That's it. We're making the marriage public. And we'll make sure people know it was in February, so no one thinks the less of you."

"Well, we don't know for certain I'm pregnant."

"But what if you aren't, and you do become pregnant later?" Lee's expression was hopeful.

Amanda was quiet.

"You do want to be pregnant?"

"This is a lot to process all at once, Lee. I'm thirty-six. We weren't trying—supposedly. I thought I was done having babies."

"Oh. Of course."

Seeing Lee's disappointment, Amanda's heart went out to him. She had never considered he would want their baby. Amanda, you are being foolish about being pregnant. The boys would love it, your mother would love it, and, it seems, Lee would be on top of the world. Certainly you can enjoy it, too. And maybe we could try to have a little one, if you really aren't pregnant right now.

"I'm sorry. That sounded incredibly selfish. It was selfish."

"It was a natural reaction."

"But it would mean so much to you. And, I have to admit, seeing how excited you are, it makes me enjoy the idea, too."

Lee offered Amanda a smile of relief at her admission.

She sighed. Having eaten only one meal that day, Amanda was famished once again. And very tired. They were nearing the house. "Well, I guess we'll find out after dinner. What an evening this is going to be."

"We're in this together, okay?"

Suddenly, Amanda knew she would be just as happy having a baby as Lee would be. She would not be alone this time. Lee Stetson, who once was determined never to marry, let alone have children, wanted to have a baby with her. They could enjoy raising a child together. From the start. He was willing to be there when things were hard. She was not on her own.

"I love you, you know."

"I know. I love you." He kissed her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

"We're home!"

Lee did not fail to notice that Amanda included him in her greeting. He smiled to himself.

"In here, dears. I'm finishing up things."

As they entered the kitchen, Dotty was preparing to pull the roast from the oven. "Oh, Mother. Let me help you."

Lee put a hand on Amanda's arm, then gestured for her to sit down. "I'll get it for you, Dotty."

Instead of sitting down, Amanda washed her hands and went to the cupboard. She pulled out a box of saltine crackers and poured a glass of water for herself.

"Is your stomach queasy again, dear? I just know you have that bug that's going around." Dotty looked over at Lee. "I haven't been able to get her to eat breakfast in days. You're not sick, are you, Lee? They say it's catching, and well, you two do spend a lot of time together."

Lee looked uncomfortable. He stole a glance at Amanda. "Well, uh…"

Amanda was eager to get her mother's mind off of that subject. She was amazed Dotty had not suspected she was pregnant yet. "Mother, where are the boys? Lee and I need to speak with them."

"I dunno. They were gone all day, got home about an hour ago, and ran upstairs. I haven't seen them since. I guess they ate over at the Nelsons or at the theatre, because they didn't bother me for a snack." She looked up from her task of moving the vegetables out of the roasting pan. "Dinner should be ready soon."

"You don't need any help?"

"I'm fine. I just need to make the gravy."

Amanda finished the saltines and sipped a little more water. "We'll be upstairs with the boys, Mother."

"Okay, dear."

Once upstairs, Amanda ducked into her room for a moment, her purse in hand. She whispered to Lee. "I don't need anyone seeing what's in my purse."

Lee nodded.

Amanda came back out into the hall and raised her hand to knock on Phillip and Jamie's door, when she heard Phillip's voice.

"Listen, dorkface. I'm sure Mom had a perfectly good explanation for being dressed like that. But the boozer was pretty interesting. At least Lee was there, too. It did look kind of bad."

Amanda looked at Lee, all of her motherly resolve melting in an instant. Her hand fell to her side.

Seeing her expression, Lee spoke quietly. "You're not alone, remember?"

Amanda nodded, and knocked on the door. But the usually confident mother was nervous for a change.

"Yeah? Come in, Grandma."

The door opened, and Phillip and Jamie were surprised to see Amanda standing there with Lee right behind her. They exchanged looks as Amanda walked in the room. Lee stood just inside the doorway. He raised his hand in greeting as Amanda spoke.

"Hi, fellas. How was your day?"

"It was good, Mom. How was yours? Hey, Lee."

Lee was impressed by Phillip's nonchalant expression. Perhaps I could teach him a little five-card stud sometime.

At Phillip's demeanor, Amanda's motherly confidence returned, along with a small amount of irritation. It's going to be like that, is it Buster? "Well, it would have been better if my supervisor hadn't found out that my boys were following me around all day. You were supposed to be eating lunch with the Nelson kids and going to the movies."

Jamie was quick to reply. "We're sorry, Lee. Is Mom in trouble?" Unlike his brother, Jamie's expression was chagrined.

"I'm not your mom's supervisor, Jamie. But she could have been in trouble—and you and your friends could have been mixed up in some of your own, following us around like that."

"But aren't you a director and Mom is your assistant? I thought you were Mom's boss."

Amanda thought it would be best to tell them about the Agency when Dotty was could be in on the conversation. "Listen, we'll tell you all about what we do later. We just want to know why you were following us around."

"We wanted to see what you do all day, Mom. That's all. Kevin and Samantha thought it would be cool to see what film directors do." Phillip's expression was still nonchalant, but Jamie had grown more uncomfortable.

"Why not ask for a tour?"

Jamie could not bear it any longer. "Mom, why were you wearing that red dress? It looked pretty bad when you were with that man in the bar."

Suddenly feeling faint, Amanda reached for Jamie's desk chair and sat down. Concerned, Lee watched her face before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, I was playing a part. I know it looked bad to someone who didn't know what was going on. Trust me, nothing happened between me and that man. He was playing a part, too. Sort of."

Jamie was not sure he could believe his mother. "Oh. So it was just acting."

"Yes."

"And that lady Lee was hanging around with is a co-worker?"

Lee spoke up again. "Yes. She is also an old friend of mine—she knew my parents. She's a friend of your mother's, too."

"Oh. But why would you act in a documentary?"

Amanda had prepared herself for that question. "Sometimes we have to play a part or two, Sweetheart. I borrowed that dress from a wardrobe we have." She gestured to her clothes. "You can see that I don't normally dress like that."

"Okay." Jamie's face still held a troubled expression. "Mom, Lee. I need to confess why we really went. We were spying on you, Lee. We wanted to know more about you. You two seem pretty serious, and…"

As Jamie spoke, Lee's expression changed from one of hurt to one of compassion. "And you wanted to be sure I was okay."

It was Phillip's turn to be contrite. "Mom was pretty sad and lonely when Dad never came home from Africa and with the divorce and all. We just don't want to see her like that again."

Lee knelt down so he could be eye level with the boys, who sat on their beds. "I have no intention of leaving your mother. Ever."

"Really? Then you two are getting married?"

"Getting married? Finally? Oh, Lee, Amanda! Congratulations!" Dotty burst into the room and gave both Lee and Amanda enthusiastic hugs.

"Actually, Dotty…" Lee's expression was a mixture of guilt and discomfort.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Did I jump the gun? I've been hoping. And Lee, you just said…"

"Mo-ther! Get a hold of yourself. Let Lee say what he needs to say." Amanda nodded her encouragement to Lee, while Dotty stood by, a sheepish expression on her face.

"We wanted to wait until after dinner. Maybe it would be a good idea if we all went to eat and talked at the table." Lee looked over at Amanda. He was worried that she had hardly eaten all day. Now she looked pale again.

"Oh, of course. I did come up to tell you that dinner was ready. I tried to yell, but you didn't hear me."

Once they were seated and everyone was eating, Dotty looked at Lee. "So, will you tell us what is going on with you two?"

Lee finished chewing a bite of the roast. "Well, we are a lot more serious than you think…"

Amanda could tell Lee was hedging. She smiled her encouragement at him.

"We wanted to tell you that we already are married. We have been since February."

Dotty's fork clattered to her plate. "Why didn't you tell us?" She turned to Amanda. "Missy, you've kept a lot of secrets from me the last several years, but this one is a doozy. I expect an explanation." Dotty's eyes were flashing.

"We had a good reason, Mother."

"Well, I'd like to hear it."

"It has to do with our jobs…"

Phillip could not contain himself any longer. "Actually, I think it's really cool. It's kind of weird that you didn't tell us, but now that you've spilled the beans, Lee, why don't you move in with us? You can be our stepdad." Phillip's face reflected the animation in his words. He got up to give Lee a hug.

Jamie sat quietly, his face a mixture of confusion and varying emotions, none of them happy.

"Hold on there, Phillip. I want your mother and Lee to tell us why they kept their marriage a secret." Dotty resumed eating, but she was slicing up her roast with a vengeance.

"We're spies, Mother."

"Oh, of all the ridiculous stories you've told me, this one is the worst…"

"Mo-ther. I have told you this story before. And you didn't believe me."

Dotty thought for a moment. Remembering that day, she became concerned. "Oh, Amanda. You wanted us to leave town. Was there some kind of danger?"

"Yes, we thought so at the time. So I sent you to Maine, where you would be safe."

"But you weren't. Are you in danger a lot of the time?" Dotty's hands flew to her face. "Oh, my God. California!"

Amanda got up and went to Dotty. "We were on our honeymoon, Mother. It was an accident, just like Lee told you."

Dotty looked over at Lee. "I think I'm beginning to understand why you never told us what you really do. Why are you telling us now?"

While Amanda went back to her seat, Lee answered Dotty's question. "First of all, I want to say again that Amanda was not shot in the line of duty. We were not on a case at the time." Lee turned to the boys. "But Phillip and Jamie spurred on this discussion today. When Amanda first went to work for the Agency, they were too young to know what she did and where she worked. Now that the boys are older, their curiosity has gotten the better of them. And they managed to include their friends in their fact-finding mission when they followed us around today. It's time that you all knew what we did."

Dotty looked at Phillip and Jamie. "You lied to me. Both of you. In fact, everyone here has been lying to me." She threw up her hands in disgust. "Amanda, how long have you been a spy?"

"Four years in October, Mother. But at first I just sort of helped Lee a little and mostly worked around the office."

"Well, you did save my tail a few times back then."

"You've known each other for four years? I always knew you were having an affair." Dotty glanced quickly at the boys. "I mean, some kind of relationship."

"Mother, we weren't even friends, really, for a while."

Lee looked defensive. "You were my friend from the start. I just didn't know how to show it."

Dotty looked at Lee, then Amanda, her brows furrowed. "Okay. How long have you been dating? Really."

"I took your daughter on our first real date about a year or more ago. We went out a few times before that, but it wasn't serious until last May."

"What took you so long to tell us? We're your family, Mom." Jamie was still unhappy.

"Oh, Sweetheart. We wanted to."

"Intelligence is a dangerous business, Jamie. We were afraid that if anyone knew we were married, it might bring trouble to you, Phillip, and your grandmother."

"Then why tell us now?"

"When our supervisor found out you had followed us around, he suggested that you come to some classes that can educate you on how to be careful in public, how to talk to others about what we do, that sort of thing."

"So we have to lie, too, now?" Dotty was still upset.

"IFF is a real documentary film company. It is our official cover."

"It's still lying."

Amanda sighed. "You're right, Mother. I think you should know that I've never wanted to lie to you. But I had to."

Lee reached under the table to take Amanda's hand. "It's true, Dotty. Sometimes we would think of ways to tell you the truth without compromising the case."

"Like when you told me you were a spy." Dottie's expression was enigmatic.

"Yes."

Somehow everyone at the table had managed to eat at least some of their food. Lee noted with satisfaction that Amanda had eaten all of hers. "How about I clear the dishes?" He stood up and started to take Dotty's plate.

"Just hold on."

Lee sat back down, a nervous expression on his face.

"When you were gone that time last fall and in trouble, you were on some kind of mission, weren't you? And that man, Mr. Melrose. You know him, don't you? That's why you thought of asking him to help Harry. Were you really the ones investigating Harry?"

"Yes, Mother. Lee offered to help me find out more about Harry. We were both worried about you. And yes, Mr. Melrose is our supervisor. He encouraged us to tell you about the Agency tonight."

"I guess he is a nice man. He was kind to Harry. Is he a good boss?"

"Yes, Mother."

Lee went to get up again. "Just another minute, Lee. Why now? Why tell us now about your marriage?"

"I told you that the boys were following us around today." She turned to Phillip and Jamie. "I think you both know that you can never do that again. You not only put yourselves in danger, but you could have caused some real problems on the case."

"Yes, Mom." Jamie looked down at his plate.

"Yes, Mom. But it was pretty cool. Now we know what you do all day."

"Yes, well. I very rarely have to do what I did today, thank goodness. Normally we sit at desks, typing up reports and looking at computers. Sometimes we drive around to different places so we can ask people questions. It's pretty boring to watch."

"Then we picked a good day."

Lee was stern. "Phillip, you can't tell your friends what we do. And if you ever try to follow us around again, we could lose our jobs."

"We won't punish you this time, since we all owe one another apologies." Amanda was firm, too. "But there will be no second time."

Phillip, finally chagrined, did his best to sound obedient. "Yes, Mom. Yes, Lee. What will we tell Samantha and Kevin?"

"Don't tell them anything. What do they think we do?"

"They think you make documentaries, like I said before. Samantha thought you were acting. She didn't think you would really act that way with a drunk guy."

"And as I told you upstairs, it was acting. After a fashion. I had to find out some information from that man. Lee was with me the entire time and nothing ever happened. It just looked bad. And as I said, I usually don't have to do that kind of thing. Thankfully."

Dotty's eyebrows furrowed once again. "I don't think I want to know."

"I'd rather not get into it again right now, Mother."

"Let's have some dessert, then. I baked a cake."

Lee finally got up to clear the dishes. Once they had eaten dessert, he volunteered to do the dishes with Jamie and Phillip, while Amanda went upstairs. Dotty sat at the counter, grilling Lee about his career while he answered as much as he could.

Amanda pulled the test out of her purse and sighed. It's now or never. Lee will be up soon to see what it says. I wish we could have done this at his apartment. She took the test into the bathroom and shut the door.

When she came out ten minutes later, Lee was perched on the edge of her bed. "You were in there a long time."

"I'm sorry. I was waiting for the result. I didn't know you were up here."

"So?"

Amanda motioned for Lee to come into the bathroom. The test lay on the counter, and a very pink line showed through the window.

"The test says I'm pregnant. Although I still need to go to the doctor to be certain. That appointment I made for tomorrow is with my obstetrician."

It was all Lee could do to contain himself as he wrapped his arms around his wife. He wanted to shout for joy, but the family had had enough bombshells for one evening. This was one piece of news they could save for another day.

He kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"You sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes, I am. Besides, if it's accurate, there's no turning back now, Scarecrow. You're going to be a daddy whether you want to or not."

"I definitely want to." He pulled back a little and put his hand on Amanda's abdomen.

She covered his hand with her own and they both looked down. "I'm excited, too. I guess I'll show it more once this morning sickness goes away. Kind of puts a damper on things for me." They moved their hands away again.

"Isn't there something you can do about it?"

"Yeah. I used to get up and eat a snack during the night when I was pregnant with Jamie. I'll try that again. Then I was able to eat some breakfast. I need to eat more than I have been."

Lee put his hand on Amanda's cheek. "Yes. Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll help you get through this."

Touched by his words, Amanda turned her face to kiss his hand.

Lee still had questions. "Does the morning sickness last for a while? I thought it was only at the beginning…"

"I usually get better after a couple of months. Then there are other things you'll want to know about. I've heard there are some good books out now…"

"We'll pick one out after we go to the doctor."

"You know, at some point I won't be able to work in the field. I won't be there to watch your back." Amanda stared at her feet.

Lee angled his face so he could see into her eyes. "Let's cross that bridge when we get to it. Hopefully this case will be wrapped up by tomorrow." He pulled back. "Um, before I go tonight, I need to talk with Jamie. He didn't say a word while we washed the dishes. In fact, he insisted that he and Phillip had it covered. That's why I was already up here."

"Oh. I should talk with him first. It may be about today." She searched Lee's face. "I wish you didn't have to leave tonight."

"Amanda, let me talk with him. It might help if he knew I wasn't bothered about your little thing with Whitsett. You handled yourself like a pro today, you know. And about tonight. Doesn't it seem like it would be better if I moved in gradually?"

"You weren't bothered about Whitsett, huh? I had a different impression. And you are right. It might be good if we let everyone get used to the marriage idea. I could come over tomorrow after work and help you pack."

"I can think of a few things we could do, and they don't involve packing." Lee winked and flashed a smile, his dimples becoming quite obvious.

Amanda wondered if their baby would be a boy—one who would be able to wrap himself around her finger just like his father did every time he offered her his dimpled smile. "Shouldn't you go talk with Jamie?"

She could not help grinning back at Lee before he went looking for Jamie, who was lying on the bed in his room. Lee could hear the sounds of a baseball game coming from the television downstairs. He knocked on the doorframe. "May I come in?"

"I guess you're entitled, since you're my stepdad now." Jamie kept his eyes focused on the book in front of him.

From Jamie's tone of voice, Lee could tell he would have to tread carefully. He feared that all of the progress he had made earning Jamie's trust had vanished. "Well, it's still your room. I haven't even moved in, yet." Lee rested his hand on the back of Jamie's desk chair. "May I sit down?"

"Sure. I guess you'll be moving in right away. Mom will like that."

"We'll see. It's a lot for everyone to handle. No need to rush."

Jamie glanced up. "You probably like having your own place. No teenagers to bother you."

"Hey. I've enjoyed having you and Phillip over. To tell you the truth, it gets lonely at my place. In fact, you didn't know it, but I've come by many times while you and Phillip were doing your homework, or getting ready for bed, to talk to your mom. This was during the first few years we were friends, before your mom and I were engaged. Your mom has always been someone I could confide in—I guess it was nice being able to talk about a case, tell her some exciting news, or lean on her for a little support after a bad day. It was nicer than hanging out by myself at my apartment." Or going to some bar.

"Mom is easy to talk to." Jamie's tone was not as stiff as when Lee had first entered his room.

"Yeah. And I used to enjoy watching you and your brother sometimes. I don't mean to sound creepy. It was nice knowing you and your grandmother were safe. And that your mom was safe."

Jamie looked at Lee for a long moment. He started to say something, and then stopped.

Lee waited, taking the opportunity to look at the pile of books on Jamie's desk. "You have some great books here. I wouldn't mind reading some of these again. Captain Jack Aubrey is one of my favorite characters."

"You can borrow them. But a couple of those are library books." Jamie sat up on the bed. "Lee, I need to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Are you scared sometimes? I mean, isn't intelligence work pretty dangerous? I've read a lot about it."

"Every good agent gets scared. It keeps him on his toes. But your mom is a great back up."

"Do you get scared she'll get hurt?"

"Yes, I do. To be honest, I've been accused of being overprotective of your mom. Besides worrying about her because I love her, I feel responsible for her. I trained your mother, and I'm still the senior agent."

"Then didn't it bother you when she was with that guy today?"

"I wouldn't be honest if I said it didn't bother me that the guy was falling all over your mom, but she was playing an important part in an investigation, so she was doing her job. He may have looked at your mom, but he didn't touch her. I was with her the entire time. Your mother does not like 'playing those roles,' as we say, so she hardly ever does. This was the first time in about a year. It's probably the last time, too."

"Oh." Jamie sat there, digesting Lee's words.

Lee looked at the books again, waiting to see if Jamie needed to talk some more.

"Lee?"

He turned back to Jamie. "Yeah?

"If you don't want to live by yourself, you should move in soon. It's weird not to live with your wife. Don't let us stop you. I know Phillip can't wait. He was talking about it after you went upstairs."

"Well, your grandmother may think differently."

"Grandma will settle down. She always does."

Lee grinned. "Thanks, Jamie. It means a lot to me that you want me to move in here."

"I'll keep that Jack Aubrey book out for you. You'll probably be too busy packing to read it right now."

"Maybe we could get more books in the series and read them together, okay?"

It was Jamie's turn to grin. "That would be great!"

Lee met Amanda downstairs. Dotty had taken her tea out onto the back patio, saying she needed time to think. Phillip was engrossed in the baseball game. Lee took Amanda's hand and led her into the living room, where he filled her in on his conversation with Jamie.

Amanda hugged her husband. "You were right to talk with him. It sounds like it went really well. I just wish I could read my mother. She's closed herself off. That's not like her."

"Let's give her some time." Lee kissed Amanda. "I should get going. You're pretty tired and the operation starts early tomorrow. Don't forget to eat a snack. I guess you'll have to set an alarm so you'll wake up."

"Maybe. I've already started getting up to go the bathroom in the middle of the night."

"Oh yeah. I noticed that at the cabin." He pulled away. "I will at least try to say good night to your mother. Start mending fences. Maybe I could bring up my idea about the garage."

Lee said his good nights to Amanda and Phillip. He opened the door and stepped out onto the back patio. Dotty turned briefly to acknowledge him.

"Thank you for the delicious dinner, Dotty. I'm sorry that Amanda and I ruined it with our news." Lee stepped around the picnic table, hoping his words would sound sincere. "I hope that somehow you'll be able to forgive us for not telling you everything sooner."

"Oh, I'm sure I will. It's a lot to digest."

"Yeah. Well, good night."

"You're leaving?" Dotty was not her usual friendly self, eager to make Lee feel welcome. But she was not cold, either.

"Uh, yeah."

"Shouldn't you be with your wife?"

"We thought it would be a lot to handle…"

"Maybe so. But you should move in soon. It isn't right for a husband and wife to be apart. Amanda's father and I could never stand it when he was away on business."

"Truth is, Dotty, we were thinking of you. This is your house, too."

"Yes and no. I moved in to help Amanda with the boys after the divorce was final. I was living in my own home before that."

"Well, this is still your home. You don't have to leave. I hope you won't."

"It's awfully crowded upstairs already."

Lee looked out across the backyard at the garage. Dotty took another sip of her tea.

"You know, if we all stayed in this house, that garage attic could easily be converted into an apartment."

Dotty regarded Lee, not sure how to respond.

"No, I mean it. I have a little nest egg… We could have an engineer figure out how to support a second floor, run some plumbing, add some windows, rebuild the roof to make more clearance inside…"

"You just thought of this?"

Lee looked sheepish. "No. I had thought of it after Amanda and I became engaged last fall. I was looking at houses in Rockville, and she wasn't too interested. So I looked into ways to renovate this place."

Dotty gazed compassionately at her son-in-law. "So you didn't always intend to hide your marriage?"

"No." Lee looked down, uncomfortable.

"Well, at least we know now. And you can stop living all by yourself in that apartment in Georgetown. Call a contractor when you get a chance, and we'll see what we can do with the garage. I'd love to stay and be near the boys, since Amanda is working full time. And I don't care to live by myself again. As long as I'm not in the way, that is."

"I think Amanda would be more than happy to have you stay here, Dotty. I know I will." Just wait until you find out about the baby. Lee hoped that Dotty would be as excited about the baby as he was. It has been twelve years since Jamie was born...

For the first time that evening, Dotty offered Lee a smile. "You know, I never did congratulate you two for actually being married. Welcome to the family, Lee. You know I've been hoping all this time that you two would tie the knot, and here you already had." She chuckled a little. Dotty got up to give him a hug, and then went to pick up her mug.

Lee followed her towards the back door so he could open it for her. "Well, Amanda and I have an early day tomorrow. I'll just let myself out through the gate. Good night."

"Good night, Lee." Before he could move away, Dotty kissed him on the cheek. "And thank you for finally telling me. I really am glad you're a part of our family."

Grinning to himself, Lee made his way to his Corvette.


	6. Chapter 6

Fasili Korovchen sipped his tea and looked over at the filthy clothing and wig. Dressed as a homeless man, he hoped to remain unnoticed for his meet in the park. Everything was set. Soon the sun would be up, and the Agency would set up their "sting" on the dupe Whitsett and his philandering military contact, Colonel Marshall. Or so he hoped. Rumor had it that the great Scarecrow and his lovely partner Mrs. King had joined up with MI6's Lady Farnsworth to capture Sydney Whitsett and supposedly save yet another joint British/U.S. project from getting into enemy hands. The threesome had played along nicely with Korovchen's scheme.

His seething days were over. After two years of effort, it had become clear that the FalconWing plans had been altered. Useless. Korovchen had been humiliated and threatened with exile in Siberia if he did not produce a trophy for his superiors in the KGB. But nursing a grudge by tipping the vodka bottle or throwing things around his Moscow flat would not keep Fasili out of Siberia. Thus, he had sprouted the elaborate scheme to take down Sydney Whitsett once again, along with Stetson, King, and Farnsworth. Let them look like fools, just as I had. Once they find out that we in fact do have the plans, they will suffer their own humiliation. Fasili Korovchen checked his disguise once again before taking the last sip of his tea. Soon it would be time to leave.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

At his desk in the quiet bullpen, Efraim Beaman read over the reports one last time. It just doesn't make sense. Why would the KGB allow Whitsett to run an operation again, when he had been so easily duped the last time? Yes, the KGB thought they had the FalconWing plans when the dust had settled, but rumor had it that they had learned the truth about the whole affair. Or so Efraim's most recent research showed. Good thing I've been brushing up on my Russian. This little tidbit about Korovchen was hard to find in that pile of surveillance transcripts that Analysis finally sent over for me to translate. Now Rostov's comment to Scarecrow makes sense. I really should consider a transfer to Analysis. It's so much more fun than training the freshmen candidates.

Knowing that the people who needed this information were already in the field, Efraim decided to go to them. Billy will need to know. And since Francine is running this operation, maybe she will finally treat me with a little more respect. Oh, she is a fine-looking woman. If only…

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Billy, Lee, Amanda, and Emily Farnsworth sat quietly in the van, sipping coffee or tea and waiting while Francine completed a series of mic checks. It was still over an hour before the meet was scheduled. Francine knew everything was in order, but something was bothering her. She voiced her concerns out loud to the others in the van.

"This all seems too neat. After that comment from Rostov, I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't a set up."

Lee listened with interest, and then spoke up. "We've been wondering the same thing Billy. Did Beaman come up with anything?"

"Not yet. But if we don't stay here, Whitsett will go free once again. And if Rostov was trying to lead us away from Whitsett and Marshall, then the KGB might find another way to get those plans."

A knock sounded on the door of the van. After checking the monitors, Lee opened the door for Efraim.

"Beaman. You drove all the way over here?"

"I thought it would be best if I did, Billy. After you hear what I've found, you'll hopefully agree."

"Go ahead."

"You'll remember that Fasili Korovchen took the falsified plans for FalconWing after Whitsett's last bust?"

"Yes." Efraim not only had Billy's attention, but everyone else's.

"Well, we finally got the transcripts from our surveillance of the Russian operatives. Korovchen was identified as being among some of the people monitored. He specifically mentioned his 'humiliation' at the hands of the British and American agents two years ago. After searching through all of the transcripts last night, I pieced together his plan."

"Beaman, I'm impressed. What do you have?"

Efraim was happy to have Billy's praise, but he was more pleased to see Francine's reaction. She was obviously impressed as well.

"He has at least two moles working for him on the satellite project. This whole thing with Whitsett was merely a diversion to keep us from noticing. Apparently he's set to have his mule make the transfer in one hour at a park not far from here."

"What about the moles? Any chance of getting their identities?"

"I was close to solving that, but time was running low. I was mostly concerned about stopping the mule this morning. I can get back to the Agency and start going through the transcripts—it shouldn't take more than an hour to figure out who they are. The moles work in Marshall's department, that I know."

"Any information on that mule? Wait, scratch that. Let's scramble a team to get to that park—Francine, we'll leave four agents here to go after Whitsett and Marshall, and bring the van and surveillance people to the park. Let's move. We don't have much time. Beaman, ride with me so you can fill me in on the details."

"Billy, how about Amanda and I stay with Emily to nab Whitsett and bring in the colonel? The colonel will be coming voluntarily anyway just for the debriefing, right?"

Billy thought for a moment. "Whitsett will know Amanda is an operative if you do that. And Lady Farnsworth's Tatiana Federova Romacheva cover will be blown as well. But I think Whitsett already may have already figured out it wasn't really Romacheva."

Emily perked up. "Oh, but Mr. Melrose, I can put Amanda in a disguise. Whitsett will never know it's the same woman from the hotel."

"Amanda?"

"Sounds like a plan, Sir."

Billy grinned. "Well fine, then. I'll leave Chang and Swanson here with you as backup, in case you have more company. Bring the colonel to interrogation, and put Whitsett in a holding cell. We'll see you back at the Agency."

After they had left, the three went to Amanda's Jeep. "Just what exactly did you have in mind, Emily?"

Lee put a hand out. "Wait a minute. Amanda, are you sure you're up for this?" He offered her a meaningful look.

"I'm feeling much better today. Just a little off, but I was able to eat some oatmeal this morning."

Seeming satisfied, Lee nodded. "Yeah, Emily, what's the plan?"

"Well, whenever I go into these situations, I always bring a few props. So if you could help me get that bag, Lee…"

Lee leaned into the back of the Jeep and produced a satchel.

"Amanda, let's go to that restroom just over there. We need to hurry. He could be early."

A few minutes later, Emily emerged from the restroom building and brought the satchel back to the Jeep. As Lee placed inside and locked the door, Emily spoke quietly to him. "Let's just go to our arranged spot. Amanda will catch up with us soon enough."

Lee hesitated.

"She'll be fine, Lee."

Lee parked himself at the picnic table near the meet area. He pretended to read a newspaper as he watched Colonel Marshall do the same at another table not far away. Emily sat nearby and worked at her knitting.

A homeless woman ambled slowly around the picnic area, poking around in trash cans here and there. She sat down under a tree about thirty feet away from Lee. He glanced over at her several times. Something about her was vaguely familiar. But he was more concerned about his partner. Where is Amanda?

Emily glanced over at Lee, then smiled and nodded as if to greet a stranger. Well, at least she's insisting all is well. Lee checked his earpiece surreptitiously. He could hear Emily's whispered confirmation, then the colonel's. Then Amanda's. Where the hell is she?

After several more minutes, Lee was forced to focus on the middle-aged, moustached man who approached the picnic area. Whitsett glanced over his shoulder several times and looked furtively around. He's definitely not learned a thing about intelligence work.

As he drew nearer, Marshall stood and left his newspaper folded on the table. He walked down a path towards a grove of trees where Chang and Sampson waited. Whitsett took a seat at the table. After a moment he picked up the newspaper, then eventually stood to leave, taking the newspaper with him.

Emily, who had been snapping photos with the small camera hidden by her yarn, waited a beat while Lee rose to intercept Whitsett. She watched as the homeless woman also got up and walked towards Lee and Whitsett.

Lee noticed the woman, too, and grew nervous. Until he saw her eyes. Momentarily distracted, he almost missed his chance to block Whitsett's path, but he caught himself in time. The homeless woman came up behind the hapless Englishman and pushed the muzzle of her revolver into his back.

Whitsett felt the revolver and knew that he was in trouble. There would be no running away from this mess. A raspy voice came from over his shoulder. "Come with us, Mr. Whitsett."

Emily joined them. "A fine job, Agent Stetson." But she wasn't looking at Lee. One of the homeless woman's brown eyes winked, and Lee almost laughed as he handcuffed Whitsett.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee found Amanda in the hallway outside the holding cells at the Agency after leaving Sydney Whitsett for the interrogation team. He fingered her stringy hair and pulled at her shirt, stained with tea so it would look filthy. "I guess you got me back for that time in the convenience store."

"Thanks to Emily." She blew a kiss to her husband, but he involuntarily drew back. Laughing, she finally pulled off the wig. Leaning in close, she whispered, "I guess you only are in for the better, not the worse, Stetson?"

"Hey! This isn't what that means."

"Relax. I'm only kidding. But I would like to get out of these clothes. Where's Emily?"

"I think she's waiting for you outside of Marshall's debriefing room. He is still facing a court martial or other action, but the charges were reduced because of his help with the case. He brought in a lawyer, so she wanted to see how it was going."

"I noticed that Rostov stayed away from the park."

"Yeah. He operates that way. He gave us the tip to get even with Korovchen for making him look foolish. And, he's still in power, even though Moscow doesn't have our satellite plans. They didn't expect him to get them, so he's not humiliated, as Korovchen has been."

"I guess he trusts us not to let on that he helped us figure things out?"

"He never told us it was Korovchen. So he's clean."

"Speaking of the devil, how did it go with Korovchen?"

"Caught him and the mule. And Beaman figured out who the moles are. There's a team heading over to arrest them right now."

"So all's well that ends well."

"Yeah. Once we get you in your own clothes again. And to the doctor. Two o'clock, right? Lunch first?"

"Yes on both counts, Scarecrow." Amanda blew Lee another kiss and went off to find Emily.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee and Amanda were seated side by side, sharing a salad at Emelio's, when Lee grabbed Amanda's arm. "Try not to be too obvious, but check out who just walked in."

Amanda looked towards the door as surreptitiously as she could. Her eyes went big and she almost choked on her bite. She swallowed and croaked out, "Francine and Beaman! Alone!"

"Yeah. Let's try not to look. The poor guy has been after her for years."

"I know. Maybe she's rethinking things after the whole mess with Jonathan. I felt sorry for her when she came home early from their vacation. I guess it just didn't work out."

"It's only lunch." Lee gestured to the salad. "We'd better finish up here. The entrée will be here soon, and we need to make your appointment."

"Thanks for coming with me, Lee."

"Of course I'm coming."

"I just hope Billy won't be upset…"

"It helps that he already knows we're married."

"I guess we'll have to tell people at the Agency."

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, Amanda. Here's the rest of our lunch."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

After helping Amanda into the Jeep and getting behind the wheel, Lee put the keys in the ignition and just sat there. Amanda watched him with an amused smile. Ever since he'd heard the sound, he had been in a daze. Since the doctor's office was a few doors down from a bookstore, they had walked over after the appointment and purchased a book on pregnancy and child care. Or rather, Amanda had chosen the book and paid for it. Lee's mind was elsewhere.

Seeing if she could rouse him before he started driving, she spoke. "So, February 20, huh? Almost the same time as our first anniversary."

"Yeah." Lee rested his hand on the steering wheel and stared across the parking lot. Suddenly he turned to Amanda. "You know, it really didn't seem real until I heard our baby's heartbeat."

"Nice and strong. Our baby seems healthy, Lee. And I'm happy. No restrictions for me. Nothing unusual, anyway."

"Yeah. I'm glad you're doing well."

"Lee, do you want me to drive?"

"No, I'll be fine. Amanda, do you realize that we're having a baby? His little heart was beating. It was incredible."

"Maybe the baby is a girl."

"Maybe." Lee started the engine. Finally able to focus on the road, Lee's mind was still not fully on his driving. On the way back to the Agency, Amanda had to remind him several times to go when the stoplights changed.

"Let me call Mother. It really was nice of her to invite Emily for dinner tonight. I don't know what you said to her, but she's really simmered down. I should make sure everything is still on."

"Go ahead."

"I promise I'll come over tomorrow night. Joe said he is taking the boys to the game and keeping them at his house."

Lee finally stopped dreaming about the baby. He put his hand on Amanda's. "We could have a little celebration tomorrow night." He brought her hand to his lips.

Amanda smiled at him as she waited for Dotty to pick up. "Hello, Mother? I'm just making sure you are still okay with having a guest… Yes, Mother. We just have one more meeting, and then we should be coming home… Yes, I'll tell Lee, Mother." Amanda ended the call and put away the phone.

"Tell Lee what?"

"She said she and the boys already started cleaning out the garage attic, whatever that means."

"I think she likes my idea to turn the attic into an apartment."

"Ah. Are you sure you don't want to buy another, larger house?"

"The boys are only a few years away from college. They won't be home much longer. I hated moving all the time when I was a kid, and I don't want to do that to the boys. They would probably have to change schools or something. Besides, with your mother moving into the apartment, we can use her room for the baby."

Amanda decided to let Lee and Dotty work out the living situation. She was happy that they got along so well—and that Dotty did not seem to be mad at Lee. Now, if only she would forgive me…

Lee heard a sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I think it's nice that you and Mother have made up already."

"But you and she haven't."

"Yeah. I know. It will take time."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

As the meeting concluding the Whitsett/Korovchen case wrapped up in the conference room, Amanda could not help notice that Beaman followed Francine out the door. She watched as he followed her to her desk and waited for Francine to get her purse. They walked out of the bullpen together.

A voice spoke in her ear. "Spying again, Mrs. Stetson?"

Amanda turned towards Lee. "I learned from the best. Did you see that?"

"Yeah. Beaman told me before the meeting that he and Francine were having dinner together tonight. Looks like lunch was a success."

They grinned at one another.

Emily Farnsworth turned from her conversation with Billy. "Would you two mind waiting while I made a phone call or two? I shouldn't be long."

"No problem, Emily. Amanda and I have to meet with Billy for a few minutes before we go home."

"Let's go to my office, Scarecrow." Billy led the way out of the conference room.

Lee closed the door to Billy's office before joining Amanda and Billy at the desk.

"What's up, Scarecrow? You miffed that Beaman got the real culprit?"

"Not at all, Billy. To be honest, I've been pretty distracted with some personal matters this week. And it looks like it worked out just fine for Beaman."

Billy guffawed at Lee's crack. "Who'd have thought?"

Lee grew defensive. "Some have said that about me. People can change."

"Oh, you fell for Amanda from the start. You were just too thick-headed to see it for years." Billy sat back in his seat. "So, what did you need? If you're worried about Smyth, I'm still working that out. But I wouldn't worry. The rumor mills have you two together anyway, and he hasn't assigned you to new partners. I don't see any changes coming once he finds out you're married."

"Uh, Billy. That's just it."

Amanda saw Lee hedging and jumped in. "Sir, I'm pregnant."

"What?" Stunned, he remained in his seat as the news registered. Staring at first Amanda, then Lee, it was a moment before a grin spread across his face. Billy jumped out of his seat and went over to pump Lee's hand. "Well, congratulations, Man! Have you been keeping this a secret, too?"

"No. We just confirmed it at the doctor's office today. Amanda is not very far along. She's due in February."

"But we didn't want to keep you in the dark again…"

"Well, I do appreciate that." Billy went to sit down again. "Imagine. Lee Stetson is going to be a father." Billy chuckled to himself, and then stared at Lee again for a moment.

Lee ran a finger under his collar, but chose not to defend himself. At some point Billy's going to learn that I'm ready to be a parent.

Billy turned to the two agents seated across from him. "You know, Amanda, after a few months you will have to leave the field. And I can only assign you light cases from now on. At least until the baby comes, that is. After you return from maternity leave, it will be up to you whether you want to return to the field."

"I understand, Sir. I would like to continue working with Lee for as long as possible."

Lee took Amanda's hand and held it between the chairs.

"There will be the occasional case that Lee must take on his own, but I can try to give him assignments where you can work together. You are my best team. And, quite honestly, you just don't work as effectively apart." Billy looked at Amanda. "Is everything okay with the pregnancy?"

"I'm fine, Sir. I had a little nausea this week, but I think I can manage that. The doctor gave me something in case it becomes a problem again."

"Very good." Billy smiled and gazed at some point on the far wall. "You know, I was on pins and needles when Jeannie was pregnant." He regarded Lee.

"I'm just glad it turned out to be what it did. Amanda had me worried there for a few days."

"Just wait, Lee. You're only at the beginning." Billy chuckled. "And by the way. After you two finish your report tomorrow, why don't you take the rest of the week off? Hopefully it will make up for me calling you on Saturday night and ruining your weekend."

Noting that Lee looked rather jubilant as he escorted Amanda and Emily out of the building, Emily pulled Amanda to the side. "Amanda, what is Lee so happy about, if I may ask?"

Lee overhead the question. "We have the rest of the week off. And something else. You might as well tell Emily, Amanda."

"We're pregnant. Our baby is due in February."

Emily stopped for a moment to give Amanda a hug. "Oh, that is happy news! No wonder you are walking on cloud nine, Lee."

"I am. Although I must admit I'm a little nervous, too."

"How far along are you, Amanda?"

"Going on seven weeks."

"Oh well. You still have a ways to go. Lee, you must be enjoying this."

"I guess it's a lot to think about. Amanda bought a book for me to read."

"What an excellent idea." Emily smiled over at Amanda. "Have you told your family anything yet?"

"Well, they know we are married. We're waiting until the dust settles to tell them I'm pregnant." Amanda put her hand on Emily's arm as they reached the car. "I'm sure you understand that we should probably not talk about the marriage unless my mother brings it up. She is a bit touchy about that. She's forgiven Lee, but I'm still on shaky ground for keeping secrets."

"Perhaps news of the baby will help?"

"I don't know. But it will be nice to have you for dinner. Mother is looking forward to it. The boys helped her cook it as a way of making up for lying to her the other day." Amanda frowned. "Not sure how I'll make up for all of my lying."

"This is a tough business in that way, Amanda. You are a good daughter and a good mother." Emily reached up and patted Amanda's shoulder. "It will be nice to take you and Dotty to the tea house next week before I leave."

Emily sat back in her seat again. "You know, this case did not go quite as planned, but at least the satellite is safe. And I have to say it was a delight to work with you both again."

Lee took his eyes off the road to glance back at Emily. "The feeling is mutual, Emily. Although I'm not sure I care to see my wife dressed as a homeless woman again anytime soon."

"I had fun. It was my turn. And I could tell you didn't recognize me until I looked you in the eye, Scarecrow."

Lee was a little defensive. "It was the baggy clothes. I know what my wife looks like."

Emily raised her eyebrows at Amanda when she looked back. "It was a good disguise, Emily. And Whitsett still doesn't know I'm an agent. Although I hope I never see him again."

Lee spoke quietly to himself. "I hope he never sees you again, either."

Amanda reached over and patted his arm, and turned back to Emily. "I hope we can visit with you again soon under other circumstances, Emily."

Lee was quick to respond. "Maybe a little vacation to England is due, Amanda. Joe might be willing to take the boys. We could go before you get too close to your due date."

"Oh, I've always wanted to go back."

"Then you must plan it." Emily gave Amanda's shoulder a light pat. "Lee, let me know if you need any hotel or bed and breakfast ideas. Or, if you like, you can stay with me at the house. There are plenty of rooms and the place fairly echoes with only me and the servants there."

"Oh, I don't know, Emily. We don't want to impose."

"Nonsense. The Farnsworth home stands empty so much of the time. It would be nice for the servants to have someone to care for besides me for once."

Lee looked at Amanda and gave her an encouraging smile. She replied, "Well, in that case…we'd be honored."


	7. Epilogue

Lee and Amanda sat on the couch in the den together. The house was quiet, as Jamie and Phillip had gone with Dotty to the grocery store. Amanda had her legs across Lee's lap, and they had their arms wrapped around one another. A carton sat on the floor by the bookshelves, its flaps open, waiting to be unpacked. It was only the middle of the afternoon, but Lee had declared that it was time for a break. "After we finish here and make dinner, we should go back to my place."

"I don't imagine we'll be packing when we get there."

Lee nuzzled Amanda's neck. "Probably not."

"Pretty soon we won't have your place."

"That's why I want to enjoy it while we can."

"Any regrets?"

"None. We still have the cabin."

"You're impossible. You know what I mean."

"Seriously? I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. How about you?"

"I feel the same way. Especially when Mother made me breakfast this morning. That was a good sign. She's mostly forgiven me, I think."

"How was the breakfast?"

"Well, oatmeal is the only thing that appeals to me in the morning right now, but I picked at the eggs and had a little toast. Mother is starting to suspect something."

"We'll tell them in a few days."

"We can concentrate on moving your stuff over here when the boys get back from Joe's on Saturday."

"Yeah. Let's just spend the day at my place tomorrow. We can pack a little, relax a little…"

Amanda craned her neck so she could see fully into her husband's face. "Are you not in a hurry to move, Scarecrow?"

"I don't have that much stuff left to pack, really. You cleaned out my closets last fall. I want to enjoy time alone with my wife." He kissed her neck again.

Car doors slammed outside and young male voices could be heard approaching the front door.

Amanda swiveled her body so her feet were on the floor. She stood up and offered a hand to Lee, who got up off the couch, too.

"Time's up, Mr. Stetson. Mother will need help with the groceries. You sure you're ready for this domestic, suburbia thing? No regrets?"

Lee placed his hands on Amanda's waist. He drew near and kissed her just as Phillip walked past with two bags of groceries. Jamie did his best to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

"You two need to get a room." Phillip rolled his eyes at them, but smiled to himself when he turned away.

"Phillip, that's enough of that talk, young man. Show some respect." Dotty shooed Phillip the rest of the way into the kitchen, before pausing to look back and smile affectionately at her daughter and son-in-law.

Lee laughed a little and looked into Amanda's eyes. "No regrets at all, Mrs. Stetson."


End file.
